Update on dumped rotten rice: Colmenares initiates investigation for possible raps vs DSWD execs

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines – A week after the police found 164 sacks of rotten rice dumped in a remote village in Dagami town of Leyte, Bayan Muna party-list Representative Neri Colmenares initiated an investigation into the matter, saying that the rice were donations intended for typhoon victims.

Colmenares, now a senatorial aspirant, said this probe may lead into the possible filing of administrative and criminal charges against the national and regional officials of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, who he said have direct control of the operations of the agency’s warehouses.

The congressman the other day visited Leyte to personally look into the spoilage and dumping of the donated rice, and to probe into the accountability of government officials involved in the incident.

Apart from the Bayan Muna investigation, the National Food Authority is now also conducting its own probe on the rotten rice.

Nestor Ramos, DSWD-8 regional director, earlier said he already knew about the dumping, but the correct procedure should have been the warehouse manager informing first the DSWD regional office before deciding to dump the decaying stocks.

Earlier, Ben Calsado, DSWD-8 warehouse manager in Alang-Alang town, had admitted that he failed to inform first his superior about the dumping of the hundreds of sacks of rotten rice. In an interview with a local radio station, he said his mind was already set to accept any punishment imposed on him for not following proper procedures.

Policemen found the sacks of rice dumped in a big excavation, about 50 meters from the central part of Barangay  Maca-Alang in Dagami. This town and neighboring Alang-Alang were among the Leyte towns devastated by super typhoon Yolanda in 2013.

Many of the people here, who were still suffering from lack of food supply, were further devastated upon learning about the rotten rice, which otherwise could have been distribute to the hungry Yolanda victims. These donated rice stocks were wasted due to neglect and inefficiency of some government officials, they said. (FREEMAN)