HOUSE committee on agriculture and food chairman and Quezon 1st District Rep. Wilfrido Mark Enverga on Tuesday hailed Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez for gaining a commitment from ASEAN neighbor Vietnam to continue importing the Philippines with affordable rice.

Romualdez, the leader of the 312-strong House of Representatives, was able to do so last Sunday in Jakarta, Indonesia, during a side meeting with Vuong Dinh Hue, President of the National Assembly of Vietnam on the eve of the formal opening of the 44th AIPA (ASEAN Parliamentary Assembly) General Assembly.

“Speaker Romualdez displayed once again why he is the alter ego of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. with the move to secure rice imports at a crucial time for the Philippines. In terms of team sports, this was a clutch move,” Enverga said.

“The threat of El Niño is still present despite the recent rains, and we are still trying to boost our crop production.

Other countries are restricting their rice importation policies. Speaker Romualdez knows that we need all the help we can get to ensure a stable supply of rice,” he said.

The congressman from Quezon province further gave credit to Romualdez for his conscious effort in developing ties with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) neighbors like Vietnam.

Enverga cited how Romualdez met Hue during the ASEAN Summit last year in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Romualdez then invited the top Vietnamese parliamentarian over to the Philippines last November as a gesture of good will.

“Speaker Romualdez is forward-thinking and always has the welfare of Filipinos on his mind,” the lawmaker said.

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Ryan Ponce Pacpaco