President Gloria Arroyo yesterday urged the Cebuanos to be vigilant and help monitor the prices of fuel and rice.
Arroyo made this statement before close to 2,000 members of the Lupon ng Tagapamayapa, and city and barangay officials at the Whitegold House Restaurant.
She was in town yesterday for several engagements.
In the same speech, she lauded Cebu for its achievements and attributed such to the leadership of the local government officials.
Arroyo also recognized the barangay peace volunteers, who are instrumental to Cebu City’s winning the recent Galing Pook Award for its program, which is strengthening the barangay justice system at the grassroots.
“Through Mayor Tommy, mahimo ninyo padak-an sab ang pagtabang sa kabos kun magtabang kamo sa pagbantay sa presyo. Sigurohon nato nga ang presyo sa labing kinahanglanon nga palaliton dili mulapas sa presyo sa listahan sa Department of Trade and Industry,” President Arroyo said.
“Siguraduhon nga dunay ibaligyang bugas sa mga pobreng baragany dinhi sa syudad,” she stressed.
Arroyo was scheduled to go around Carbon Market yesterday to do an ocular inspection on the rice retailers with Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap.
This, however, did not push through as she decided to rest before heading to the wedding of Mark Guanzon and Christianne Sebastian at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral where she was one of the principal sponsors along with Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia.
The groom is a son of Presidential Assistant Felix Guanzon.
CONSUMERS COMPLAIN
The change in the schedule of the president probably spared her from losing her cool as many consumers who went to Carbon Market to buy NFA rice complained that the bags were underweight.
The rice from the National Food Authority are sold at only P18.25 per kilo at accredited stores.
The consumers complained that some of the bags that were supposed to contain 1 kilo of rice weight as much as 200 grams less.
The rice retailers were however quick to deny any hand on that as the bags are packed by the NFA.
“Naa man gud uban nga dudoso ba. So ilahang kilohon og balik,” one retailer said.
Sought for comment, Edgar Diez, head of NFA-7 rice enforcement and investigation division admitted that they are the ones that did the re-packing by kilo to make that they are properly distributed especially to the poor.
“We just have to improve the repacking because the people are new, nobody is perfect, we admit nay uban nga kuwang, pero gamay ra,” Diez said.
Diez, who is also the information officer of NFA-7, said the re-packing is done in NFA-7’s Warehouse 19 and 46.
He also emphasized that the Philippines is not experiencing a shortage of rice and that they have not changed anything in their distribution except the re-packing style. He assured they have enough supply to cover the lean months, which will start this June until August.
The NFA-7 recently hired 137 job order employees to monitor the distribution of NFA rice in the markets and accredited stores in Cebu to ensure there is proper distribution of the rice.
There are eight NFA personnel who are doing monitoring in Carbon Market. — Wenna A. Berondo and Ferliza C. Contratista/NLQ