SENATOR Cynthia Villar, chairman of the Senate Agriculture and Food Committee, appealed Tuesday to President Rodrigo Duterte to issue an executive order to give the over 100,000 metric tons of smuggled rice to the National Food Authority to resolve the current shortage of NFA rice.
She said the smuggled rice had been found in the ports of Subic, Cebu and Zamboanga.
Since the smuggled rice had been confiscated since last January, Villar assured the rice had remained fit for human consumption.
She noted that donating the rice would be much better to address the NFA rice shortage instead of bidding them. She raised the possibility that those behind the smuggled rice might also join the bidding.
During the start of the hearing, Villar castigated NFA administrator Jason Aquino for making a public announcement on the shortage of NFA rice, causing the public to panic.
“The NFA press release confused the people. The NFA said there was no rice… The NFA should not have come out with the PR because it created confusion, no need for that PR creating panic,” Villar chided Aquino.
“Why did you announce to the whole world that you failed to do your job?” also asked Villar, citing the “psychological effects it has on the consuming public.”
“If you cannot do your job, just keep quiet and do not make us panic,” also said Villar while also referring to Aquino.
She said the government should not scare them, adding the people would not be able to differentiate NFA rice from commercial rice in the market.
“It seems you want to sow panic. That’s what I do not understand. Us (sic) in government should think of the welfare of the people,” said Villar.
Since the NFA has facilities in 87 provinces, Villar also said they should have gone to the Visayan and Mindanao regions, Bicol and Palawan where the rice was brng sold at P14 per kilo so they could sell them in the market at much cheaper price.
Villar also told Aquino that the NFA should have buffer stock to ensure that rice traders would not take advantage of the farmers.
“You’ll say there’s no NFA rice but it’s your job. Why are you announcing that you could not do your job?” she reiterated.
In making the public announcement about a rice shortage, Villar surmised that Aquino was trying to compel the inter-agency NFA Council to give him authority to import rice.
Aquino had been pushing for importation as an alternative but it was disapproved by the NFA Council. The Council earlier said there was no need because there was no rice shortage in general.
This matter was earlier an issue between him and Cabinet Secretary and NFA Council head Leoncio Evasco Jr.
Aquino in turn told Villar’s committee they only have a buffer stock of rice for only 1.7 days – a far cry from the required 15-day buffer stock at any given time, and a 30-day buffer stock by July 1 or the start of the lean months.
Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino IV and Assistant Secretary Mercedita Sombilla of the National Economic and Development Authority, part of the NFA Council, said Aquino’s press release resulted in a spike in the price of rice.
Aquino told the NFA administrator that his press release created an increase in the price of rice.
Sombilla also admitted that a week after the press release was issued, the prices of rice shot up.
The NFA rice was previously being sold at P27/kilo (costs a maximum of P17/kilo of palay or rice grain). But now, it is priced at P42 to P45.