Agriculture Secretary William Dar and Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III have mutually agreed over the weekend (August 9) the implementation of an assistance program to help rice farmers adjust to the low prices of palay (paddy rice), following the passage of Republic Act (RA) No. 11203 or the rice tariffication law (RTL). The agreement entails an unconditional cash assistance that will be allocated and distributed to RTL-affected farmers by expanding the ongoing Survival and Recovery (SURE) program of the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC), an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture (DA).