PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he is ready to certify as urgent the proposed Agriculture Cooperatives Act of 2025 to strengthen support for Filipino farmers and fisherfolk. ​The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said Marcos expressed his readiness to certify the bill during a meeting with Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform Chairman Francis Pangilinan and other agriculture stakeholders on Tuesday. ​"President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. expressed readiness to certify the Agriculture Cooperatives Act of 2025 as urgent to expedite its implementation," the PCO said in a social media post. ​The PCO said the Marcos administration is also studying proposals to amend the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL), which aimed to liberalize rice importation. ​"The goal is to secure approval of the measures as soon as possible," it added. ​The proposed Agriculture Cooperatives Act of 2025 seeks to strengthen agricultural cooperatives as key partners for national food security and rural development. ​The measure aims to improve productivity and profitability in the agriculture sector by promoting stronger farmer organizations that can collectively purchase inputs, process agricultural products, and negotiate better prices in the market. ​It is part of a broader package of proposed reforms that includes the Agricom Act and the Agriculture and Fisheries Extension Act. ​The reforms aim to raise farmers’ incomes and improve agricultural services while enhancing support systems for producers across the country. ​On the other hand, the RTL, which was enacted in 2019, empowers the president to halt imports under specific conditions. ​The RTL, or Republic Act 11203, liberalized rice imports by replacing quantitative restrictions with tariffs and established the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund to support farmers through mechanization, seeds, credit and training. ​The Palace said Tuesday's meeting was attended by the president, Pangilinan, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, and National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Arsenio Balisacan.