Congress urged to pass 'half-cup rice' law

With at least P3.6 billion worth of rice wasted annually, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. is pushing for the revival of a proposed measure mandating restaurants, hotels, canteens and eateries to serve half-cup of rice.

-  Bella Cariaso

At a press conference, Agriculture Assistant Secretary and spokesman Arnel de Mesa yesterday noted that President Marcos himself was a proponent of half-rice servings during his stint at the Senate.

"For the record, the secretary wants to revive a bill offering half-cup of rice. In the 16th Congress, President Marcos filed such a bill when he was a senator,” De Mesa said.

He added that Tiu Laurel is ready to assist lawmakers in crafting the proposed measure.

“The secretary is really interested in helping revive and craft a new bill that hopefully will cater to the possibility of offering (half-cup of rice) as an option. At present, it is better if it will become an option, but of course, we defer to the legislators what could be the best scenario for this bill,” De Mesa said.

He cited the study of the Department of Science and TechnologyFood and Nutrition Research Institute which showed that in 2019, at least nine grams of rice was wasted by each Filipino.