Ombudsman says:  No unfair selling  of NFA rice in  T. Padilla market

The Office of the Ombudsman Visayas has terminated its fact-finding investigation into the alleged unfair selling of rice by National Food Authority outlets at the T. Padilla Public Market.

Assistant Ombudsman Virginia Palanca Santiago said they found no sufficient evidence to continue the investigation following the explanation of the seven licensed NFA outlets in T. Padilla market.

The owners of seven NFA outlets have explained that it is impossible for them to engage in unfair selling of NFA rice because of the strict monitoring by the government.

The Ombudsman conducted the investigation after some listeners of the anti-graft office’s weekly radio program over dyLA complained of unjust selling of NFA rice at the T. Padilla market.

The listeners claimed that while hundreds queued under the heat of the sun just to buy a kilo of rice, rich customers can easily buy a sack of NFA rice that is supposedly intended for the poor.

However, during the conference called by the Ombudsman, the rice retailers explained that what the complainants could have been seen was not the NFA rice but the commercial ones being bought in sacks.   According to Santiago, the retailers told them that the NFA is monitoring every kilo of NFA rice they sell.

The Ombudsman urged NFA officials to conduct a proper monitoring to prevent unscrupulous people from taking advantage of the government subsidized rice that is sold at P18.25 per kilo.  — Fred P. Languido/LPM