{"id":19832,"date":"2026-04-29T01:27:59","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T17:27:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/?p=19832"},"modified":"2026-04-29T01:27:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T17:27:59","slug":"chiz-urges-govt-to-tap-p30-b-rcef-funds-to-shield-farmers-from-el-nino-rising-fuel-costs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/chiz-urges-govt-to-tap-p30-b-rcef-funds-to-shield-farmers-from-el-nino-rising-fuel-costs\/","title":{"rendered":"CHIZ URGES GOV\u2019T TO TAP P30-B RCEF FUNDS TO SHIELD FARMERS FROM EL NI\u00d1O, RISING FUEL COSTS"},"content":{"rendered":"

SENATOR Francis \u201cChiz\u201d Escudero on Tuesday urged the government to tap the P30-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), created under Republic Act 11203 to finance interventions that go beyond short\u2011term cash aid to shield farmers from El Ni\u00f1o and rising global fuel costs.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Escudero pointed to the P15 billion allocation for \u201cOther Priority Programs, Activities and Projects\u201d under RCEF, or the Rice Tariffication Law, that could be redirected to interventions that \u201cmost effectively promote farmers\u2019 productivity, supply resiliency, and address food security emergency situations on rice due to supply shortage or extraordinary increase in prices.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

“I<\/strong>sa pang pwede na makakatulong sa ating mga magsasaka ay yung portion ng P30 billion mula sa rice competitiveness enhancement program, specifically the P15 billion for other priority programs,\u201d Escudero said, noting that this fund can be mobilized for expanded financial assistance, rice credit, and irrigation projects.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The veteran legislator emphasized that government interventions in this time of compounded crisis, marked by El Ni\u00f1o\u2019s looming dry spell and global fuel shocks from Middle East tensions, must be forward looking.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMakakatulong ang short-term and immediate ayuda subalit kailangan rin natin ng mga pangmatagalang programang magpapatibay sa produksyon at magbibigay ng kakayahan sa ating mga magsasaka na harapin ang tagtuyot at mataas na presyo ng langis,\u201d he added.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Escudero shared his suggestion as the Department of Agriculture (DA) started rolling out the P10 billion Presidential Assistance for Farmers and Fisherfolk Program, which provides P2,325 each to more than 4.17 million farmers and fisherfolk nationwide.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The\u00a0DA\u00a0has\u00a0described\u00a0the\u00a0cash\u00a0aid\u00a0as\u00a0a\u00a0lifeline\u00a0against\u00a0soaring\u00a0fuel\u00a0costs,\u00a0with\u00a0initial\u00a0payouts\u00a0already\u00a0underway\u00a0in\u00a0Ilocos\u00a0Region,\u00a0Cagayan\u00a0Valley,\u00a0Central\u00a0Luzon,\u00a0Western\u00a0Visayas,\u00a0and\u00a0Zamboanga\u00a0Peninsula.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Bicolano senator added that the goal is to strengthen farmers\u2019 resilience. \u201cAng mahalaga ay matulungan silang makabangon at makapagpatuloy sa produksyon, upang manatiling matatag ang ating suplay ng pagkain kahit sa gitna ng krisis.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Agriculture officials have acknowledged that the assistance is modest and primarily designed as short\u2011term relief. They are also bracing for a moderate to strong El Ni\u00f1o later this year, with the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Agency raising the likelihood of development to 79 percent by June.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The weather phenomenon is expected to bring prolonged dry conditions, strain irrigation systems, and cut farm output, particularly rice and corn.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SENATOR Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Tuesday urged the government to tap the P30-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), created under Republic Act 11203 to finance<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19833,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19832"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19832"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19832\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19834,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19832\/revisions\/19834"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}