Iloilo board member warns vs ‘mixed’ NFA rice

I was shocked. A member of the Iloilo Sangguniang Panlalawigan issued last week a warning against consuming deteriorated rice from the National Food Authority that was being passed off as brand new by unscrupulous rice traders.

Dr. Macario Napulan (first district) claimed that some merchants were recycling NFA rice that had been sold to a buyer for P500,000 for the entire batch of 200,000 bags that had been flooded in the agency’s Jaro warehouse at the height of typhoon “Frank.”

Napulan, according to Iloilo correspondents, is actually a physician and knows what he is talking about.

Stale rice, he pointed out, mixed with good quality grains, can cause food poisoning, Napulan warned.

The provincial board member went on air to warn the public about the dangers of eating this “mixed rice.”

He also urged the provincial health office to check rice retail outlets and put a stop to this practice. He even advised that businessmen engaged in the activity be arrested.

That was a shocker. Last week, the NFA-Iloilo branch disposed of 200,00 sacks of rotting rice in its Jaro warehouse after residents complained that it was smelly.

Actually, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez had convinced President Arroyo to allow the immediate sale of the rotting rice.

There were suggestions by local government units to bury the rotting rice, but Gonzalez objected because it could contaminate the water.

Hundreds of Quintin Salas Jaro folk picketed the NFA last week, protesting the foul smell of the rotting rice and demanding its immediate disposal or removal.

Gonzales saved the day for the NFA and the residents when he convinced the President to allow it to be sold to a buyer who reportedly offered P500,000 for the lot.

But the problem now is, where did all the rotting rice stocks mixed with good rice come from? That’s something which Gonzalez can ask the National Bureau of Investigation to probe. That should be easy to do – trace the buyers of the rotting rice.

Not just fertilizers, also railways

Small sugar farmers of Negros Occidental are not just demanding the immediate importation of fertilizers to relieve them of the burden of the spiraling cost of the crop input. Now a group of sugar farmers from the Silay-Saravia area have complained of losses amounting to millions of pesos because of the pilferage of railroad lines in E. Magalona town.

So far, according to the leaders of the Silay-Saravia Railway Cooperative, they have lost several kilometers of rails to thieves.

The 56-kilometer railway line is owned by Hawaiian Philippines Co. but rented by the cooperative, which finds it a cheaper mode of transporting sugar cane to the mill.

Raymond Montinola complained last week to Gov. Isidro Zayco that they have already lost about P4 million.

He claimed that the thieves used acetylene torches to cut the rails.

Gov. Zayco immediately asked the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to study a possible ordinance on the buying and selling of scrap iron and other materials to be regulated.

Zayco also asked the police to conduct random checks on all junkyards in Silay City, E. Magalona and even Bacolod City to find out which had bought the stolen rails and cables. The rails are reportedly sold to junkshops at P40 per kilo.

Montinola and Jose Ledesma said if the rail thefts continue, it could dislocate their workers and increase the expenses in hauling sugarcane to the mills.

Actually, both the Central Negros Electric Cooperative and the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company have long been complaining about cable thefts. And the police have somehow managed to cut down the incidence of those thefts. But this was the latest twist to a racket that presumably has the connivance of junkshop dealers.

We hope that the police can easily pinpoint who are the outlets of the thieves.

Twist in Zayco stand

For months now, Gov. Zayco has consistently resisted efforts to convince him to run for the governorship, which he succeeded after the demise of Gov. Joseph Marañon.

That’s why Negrenses were surprised to learn yesterday that Zayco somehow backed off from his previous hard-line position against running for governor, opting instead to vie for the mayorship of Kabankalan City.

“I will see, of course. I will have to assess my performance. We’ll see if people like it. We’ll see from now up to 2010,” was how Zayco answered the persistent questions of local newsmen.

Apparently that position by Zayco was triggered by reports that former President Joseph Estrada had endorsed Sagay City Mayor Alfredo Marañon Jr. to run for governor. Marañon, however, said he is still studying whether his health will allow him to run for the position.

Many names have been proposed to take over the governorship, including, among others, former Rep. Charlie Cojuangco, son of businessman Eduardo Cojuangco. Others mentioned include Rep. Jules Ledesma of the first district, Murcia Mayor Esteban Coscolluela, and Rep. Jeffrey Ferrer of the fourth district.

All of them belong to the United Negros Alliance of Cojuangco.

Be that as it may, that presages an emerging battle royale for the local group’s nomination. Or it could break up and make the gubernatorial race a merry mix-up.

This only shows that despite the ravages of typhoon Frank, locals still haven’t give up yet on politics.

Zayco, incidentally, is an approachable and low-key public official.