Proposed Resolution No. 780
AdoptedA Resolution Urging His Excellency, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., to Authorize, as a Special and Time-Bound Measure, the Zero-Tariff Direct Importation of Rice from Sabah, Malaysia, Exclusively for the Province of Tawi-Tawi, in Order to Reduce Rice Prices, Ensure Food Security, and Alleviate the Hardship Faced by the People of Tawi-Tawi
Filed
Adopted as Resolution No. 565Now
Voted on and adopted by Parliament.
What this measure does
Parliament urges President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to authorize, as a special and time-bound measure, the zero-tariff direct importation of rice from Sabah, Malaysia, for the Province of Tawi-Tawi only, to bring down rice prices, secure food supply and ease hardship there. The authority should come with national government regulatory safeguards and reasonable limits on volume, duration and destination. Copies go to the Office of the President, the concerned national agencies and the Provincial Government of Tawi-Tawi.
Filed on 13 January 2026 by MP John Anthony L. Lim and 57 other principal authors; the text itself names MP Lim with MPs Jose I. Lorena and Nabil A. Tan. Adopted as Resolution No. 565 on 19 January 2026.
Why it was proposed
Tawi-Tawi is an island province far from the country's rice-producing areas and depends on rice shipped from Zamboanga City and other distant ports, where shipping, fuel, handling and logistics costs push up the landed price. The resolution says high rice prices weigh on low-income households and worsen food insecurity. Sabah is nearer than any mainland supply point, and Tawi-Tawi is part of the Philippine area of BIMP-EAGA, the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines growth area set up to promote cross-border trade and food security in border areas. It presents the measure as humanitarian and says it does not condone informal or unauthorized trade.
Who it affects
- Households in Tawi-Tawi, especially low-income families.
- Rice traders and importers serving the province.
Who would implement it
- Office of the President and the national agencies that regulate rice imports and tariffs.
Funding
No appropriation. The resolution appropriates nothing.
What changes if it becomes law
- Adopted as Resolution No. 565 on 19 January 2026, 6 days after filing, without referral to a committee.
- It binds no one: tariffs and import rules are set nationally, and the resolution is a request.
Raised during deliberations
No published record of the debate on this measure. Parliament’s journals cover sittings up to March 2023 only, and no committee report on it has been published.
What to notice
The adopted Resolution No. 565 carries the same title and operative text. The resolution asks for limits on volume, duration and destination but sets none, and gives no rice price or price gap for Tawi-Tawi. The filed copy already carries blank certification and attestation lines for the Secretary General and the Speaker.
Sources