Aquino to distribute excess rice to poor

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino will meet officials of the Department of Agriculture for the distribution of excess stocks of imported rice to poor Filipinos nationwide.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala is expected to discuss with Mr. Aquino the recommendation to distribute the excess rice stocks to communities, particularly those devastated by calamities.

Alcala will seek the approval of Mr. Aquino after meeting with Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman and National Food Authority (NFA) Administrator Lito Banayo, he added.

Earlier, Banayo said they are formulating guidelines to distribute excess NFA rice stocks.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government has expressed interest in selling and distributing the rice to poor communities, while the Department of Social Welfare and Development wants the rice for its supplemental feeding program for malnourished children.

At present, the NFA has over 57 days of rice stock, which is above the agency’s 30-day food security buffer.

Lawmaker: Burn rice, reap bad karma

Northern Samar Rep. Emil Ong asked yesterday NFA Administrator Banayo to stop a plan to burn rice stocks reportedly rotting in government warehouses.

Speaking to reporters, Ong, a former NFA chief, said “we might get bad karma” if the surplus imported rice are burned. “We don’t step on rice, that’s bad karma, so it’s much worse if we burn it,” he said.

Ong said when he was NFA chief, spoiled rice was re-milled, not burned.

“Rice is hard grain, only the outer covering is spoiled,” he said.

Ong said re-milled rice can be converted to first-class feed for poultry. Burning rice could invite corruption, he added.

The Arroyo administration did not import excessive rice, Bohol Rep. Arthur Yap, a former agriculture secretary, insisted.

Over 55,000 sacks of rice from the World Food Program augmented the 63,000 sacks from the NFA, according to Elena Bautista-Horn, Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s spokesman.

Tons of rice for the Arroyo administration’s school feeding program are still in warehouses when the program was stopped by Social Welfare Secretary Soliman. – Delon Porcalla, Paolo Romero