To Counteract Rising Prices: Capitol to buy rice from NFA

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia yesterday decided to purchase rice from the National Food Authority that she said will be sold to remote municipalities in the province and curb the high prices of rice now in the market.

Garcia is giving the NFA until Monday to decide whether the province will be allowed to purchase rice from the agency, adding that she will be meeting with the mayors in the province to discuss the matter.

In case the NFA fails to act on her request, the governor said she will ask for assistance from Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap.

Provincial Board member Victor Maambong, for his part, said that if the NFA accedes, the rice will be sold at cost to the poorest among the poor in the province. It’s not hard to identify who are these people because the Capitol has a list of them, he said.

On the recent raid of the NBI against a rice shipment, Maambong hoped that the intervention of President Gloria Arroyo on the matter was not done for the sake of the “owner of the rice,” who according to reports was businessman Reagan King.

“We know that everybody is helping to avert rice crisis. But I just hope, the intervention was not because of the owner of the shipment. The raid was legal as it was armed with a search warrant,” Maambong said.

King also insisted that his shipment was legal, and he showed proof that he was authorized to import the rice stocks for a farmer’s cooperative.

Maambong said he will file a resolution on Monday urging The Philippine International Trading Corporation to be transparent in its transaction and to inform the NFA, the governor, or any government agency about its importation as well as its quota or volume of importation to be made.

PITC is a government-owned international trading company with over thirty years in exporting, importing, and marketing of commodities, industrial products and consumer goods. It has been playing a key role in the government’s price and supply stabilization programs through strategic bulk importation of essential raw materials and critical commodities.

In recent years, PITC had developed wide experience in the importation of basic products such as rice for domestic distribution, and sugar for the local food processing sector.

The other day, the PB approved a resolution requesting barangay officials to apprehend hoarders of rice and basic commodities in their respective areas, and help arrest the spiraling prices of these commodities.

The resolution, authored by Maambong, stated that much confusion had been going on in the country today because of the reported rice shortage that also led to the increase in prices of the commodity.

Barangay officials are familiar with people and business activities in their respective area of jurisdiction, and this put them in the best position to detect hoarding of rice and other basic commodities in their areas, and enable them to take the necessary actions, the resolution further said. — Mitchelle L. Palaubasanon/RAE