House bill wants to penalize food establishments refusing to serve half-cup rice

MANILA, Philippines — Former health secretary and Rep. Janet Garin (Iloilo, 1st District) wants to penalize establishments that refuse to serve half-cup rice.

House Bill (HB) 9536, filed by Garin on Tuesday, mandates all food establishments such as restaurants, eateries, canteens, dining facilities, food establishments, hotels and inns, to serve half-cup rice to “minimize food waste.”

“Through this, consumers may also lessen their expenses as well as reduce rice wastage,” the bill read.

Under HB 9356, refusal to comply with serving half-cup rice shall be meted with the following fine:

According to the Department of Agriculture’s PhilRice, an individual wastes two tablespoons of rice daily which amounts to P7.2 billion of wasted rice yearly.

Some 46 cities in the country have implemented ordinances on serving half-cup rice.