REPUBLIC ACT NO. 4643 - AN ACT TO
AMEND REPUBLIC ACT NUMBERED THREE THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY-TWO,
ENTITLED "AN ACT TO ADOPT A PROGRAM TO STABILIZE THE PRICE OF PALAY,
RICE AND CORN, TO PROVIDE INCENTIVES FOR PRODUCTION AND TO CREATE THE
RICE AND CORN ADMINISTRATION TO IMPLEMENT THE SAME, AND TO PROVIDE
FUNDS THEREFOR"
Section 1. Section one of Republic Act Numbered Three
thousand four hundred fifty-two, is hereby amended to read as follows:
"Section 1. It is hereby declared to be the policy of
the Government that in order to stabilize the price of palay, rice and
corn, it shall engage in the purchase of these basic foods, through a
system of payment against warehouse receipt or quedan from those
tenants, farmers, growers, producers and landowners in the Philippines
who wish to dispose of their produce at a price that will afford them a
fair and just return for their labor and capital investment, and
whenever circumstances brought about by any cause, natural or
artificial, should so require, shall sell and dispose of these
commodities to the consumers at areas of consumption at a price that is
within their reach.
"Under the system of payment against warehouse receipt or quedan, any
bonded warehouseman licensed under the General Bonded Warehouse Law
(Act No. 3893), as amended, who, after proper application with the
Administration and approval of his credit standing by an
Administration-designated bank, is appointed as an RCA bonded
warehouseman shall immediately accept for deposit palay or corn which
shall be purchased by the Administration from the above-named
producers. The producer will then be issued a warehouse receipt or
quedan immediately which will embody within its written or printed
forms the essential terms required by the Warehouse Receipt Law (Act
No. 2137). Upon presentation of the said quedan or receipt to any RCA
designated bank it shall be paid immediately by the latter in its full
face value at the price fixed by the Administration.
"In designating banks and determining the amount of money to be
deposited therewith for the purpose of paying rice or corn sold to the
Administration, the latter shall consider the financial standing of
such banks as certified to by the Central Bank: provided, that only
Filipino banks shall be designated as RCA banks."
Sec. 2. Section eight of the same Act is hereby
amended to read as follows:
"Sec. 8. To enable the rice and/or corn growers,
producers and landowners, including the small farmers and tenants to
avail of the benefits of this Act, the Administration or any of its
agencies must buy at the price that will afford producers a fair and
just return for their labor and capital investment as hereunder
provided:
"1. For each cavan of clean and dry palay of ordinary
variety as classified by the Administration weighing forty-six kilos
gross, F.O.B. nearest Rice and Corn Administration center or RCA
designated bonded warehouse, at prices to be determined by the Board of
Administrators for the various rice producing regions taking into
consideration the varying costs of production obtaining therein, which
prices shall not be less than P16.00: provided, that the floor prices
established by the RCA, by crop regions, shall be announced two months
before the regular rice planting season and that said floor prices
shall be good for one year: provided, further, that in the absence of
any qualified bonded warehouseman or space in said bonded warehouses,
the Rice and Corn Administration shall start to purchase palay
immediately at the beginning of every harvest and for this purpose
shall send its men and facilities to the places of harvest where the
farmers could directly sell their harvested palay: provided,
furthermore, that it shall be prohibited for any person to sell or
offer to sell to the Administration any palay other than that directly
produced by him as farmer or tenant or his share as landowner and such
act shall be punished in accordance with section fifteen of this Act:
provided, finally, that any RCA official or employee who shall
knowingly buy such palay for the RCA shall be subject to the same
penalty;
"2. For each cavan of corn of fifty-six kilos,
F.O.B., nearest Rice and Corn Administration center or RCA designated
bonded warehouse, at prices to be determined by the Board of
Administrators for the various corn producing regions taking into
consideration the varying costs of production obtaining therein, which
prices shall not be less than P13.00: provided, that such prices shall
be announced not later than April fifteen for the year 1966 and
thereafter, not later than January fifteen every year;
"3. For both rice and corn, a farmer or tenant to be
entitled to sell to the Administration must first certify his total
production for the year; and farmers and tenants with production of not
more than one hundred cavanes are entitled to priorities and those
whose total production exceeds one hundred cavanes shall be entitled to
sell not more than thirty (30%) per cent of the excess of the one
hundred cavanes.
"The Administration shall announce any charges in the floor price for
palay and the ceiling price for rice and corn at least two months
before the regular rice and corn planting season, which announcement
shall be given as wide a publicity as possible."
Sec. 3. Section nine of the same Act is hereby
amended to read as follows:
"Sec. 9. In order to afford the consumers adequate
supply of rice and corn at minimum prices, the Administration is
directed to sell the rice recovered from the palay purchased by it and
the corn grits through retailers or dealers duty licensed by the Rice
and Corn Board, through the Barrio Councils, and in chartered cities or
other places where there are neither RICOB registered retailers nor
Barrio Councils, through retailers appointed by the RCA upon
recommendation of the Municipal Treasurers, at retail prices to be
determined by the Board of Administrators which shall not be less than
one peso nor more than one peso and forty centavos per ganta for rice
and not less than forty centavos nor more than eighty centavos for corn
grits or thirty centavos per kilo for corn grain: provided, that the
Administration shall sell rice and/or corn in regions, areas, or
provinces affected by government purchase of such commodities at the
time it is buying same at prices stated heretofore."
Sec. 4. Section 10 of the same Act is hereby
amended to read as follows:
"Sec. 10. The Administration shall coordinate,
supervise, direct and control the activities of all existing
governmental agencies; provide incentives to farmers, growers and
producers; acquire adequate motor vehicles to be used in the
procurement and distribution of rice, corn and palay: provided,
however, that the acquisition of motor vehicles shall be done by public
bidding: provided, further, that the offer at such public bidding shall
in no case be more than the market price of such vehicles; and issue
rules and regulations as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of
this Act or effectively implement and execute the rice and corn
program."
"Sec. 10-A. The Rice and Corn Administration may
import rice and corn from the best available source or through private
parties, after public bidding with sealed bids, unless the importation
be on a government to government contract, free from taxes, duties
and/or special charges when all the following conditions exist as
verified by the National Economic Council upon consultation with the
Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources: (1) an existing or
imminent shortage in the local supply of the above-mentioned
commodities of such gravity as to constitute a national emergency; (2)
there is no available local supply which can be purchased by the
Administration; (3) the Rice and Corn Administration does not have
sufficient buffer stocks to properly stabilize the price; and (4) the
total quantity of cereal to be imported shall not exceed the amounts
necessary to cover the certified shortage: provided, that the said
imported cereal shall be sold at prices provided herein for local rice
and corn. The Rice importation authorized under this Act shall be sold
by the RCA through retailers or dealers duly licensed by the Rice and
Corn Board, through the barrio councils, and in chartered cities or
other places where there are neither RICOB registered retailers nor
Barrio Councils, through retailers appointed by the RCA upon
recommendation of the Municipal Treasurers: provided, further, that any
proceeds, if the importation is under U.S. Act No. 480 and/or savings,
or profits generated by the Rice and Corn Administration in undertaking
said importations shall be used exclusively for the development of the
local Rice and Corn Industries as allocated by the RCA, in consultation
with the National Economic Council and the Department of Agriculture
and Natural Resources: provided, furthermore, that such proceeds,
savings or profits shall be reported to Congress before the beginning
of every regular session."
Sec. 5. The RCA Board is hereby authorized to
issue rules and regulations not inconsistent with the provisions of
this Act to carry into effect the provisions of this law.
Sec. 6. Section fifteen of the same Act is hereby
amended to read as follows:
"Sec. 15. Any person who shall violate any provision
of this Act or any rule and regulation promulgated pursuant thereto
shall be punished by a fine of not less than two thousand pesos nor
more than ten thousand pesos and imprisonment of not less than five (5)
months nor more than five (5) years. If the offender is a public
official and/or employee, he shall, in addition, suffer perpetual
disqualification to hold public office.
Sec. 7. Repealing Clause. — All Acts, executive
orders, proclamations and regulations and parts thereof which are
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed.
Sec. 8. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect
upon its approval.
Approved: March 8, 1966
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