Two senators want National Food Authority administrator Jason Laureano Aquino to quit his post, saying that he failed to do his job in securing the buffer stock of NFA rice that caused a spike in the price of commercial rice in the market.
Senator Grace Poe and Senator Bam Aquino IV both want Aquino to resign for his inefficiency that they claimed has prejudiced the consumers, especially the poor buyers.
Assistant Secretary Mercedita Sombilla of the National Economic and Development Authority, a member of the NFA Council, also said that the NFA administrator’s press release on the shortage of NFA rice resulted in pubic panic.
Senator Aquino agreed, as he pointed out that the NFA administrator’s statement created an increase in the cost of commercial rice.
Sombilla also admitted that a week after the press release was issued, the prices of rice shoot up.
The NFA rice was previously sold at P27/kilo (costs a maximum of P17/kilo of palay or rice grain), but has since increased at P42 to P45.
“We are talking about food security for the poorest Filipino families. We need someone who can get the job done,” said Senator Aquino.
He stressed that poor Filipinos will have to spend P500 more a month for rice until June due to the NFA’s failure to ensure the supply of affordable NFA rice in the market.
During last Tuesday’s Senate agriculture and food committee hearing, committee chairperson Senator Cynthia Villar castigated NFA’s Aquino for making a public announcement on the scarcity of NFA rice.
“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 said.
“If you cannot do your job, just keep quiet and do not make us panic,” Villar added.
“It seems you want to sow panic. That’s what I do not understand. We in government should think of the welfare of the people,” said Villar.
Since the NFA has facilities in 87 provinces, Villar said said they should have gone to the Visayas and Mindanao region, Bicol and Palawan where the rice is being sold at P14 per kilo so they can sell them in the market at much cheaper price.
In asking Aquino to quit his job, Poe said he had been remiss in his job, which had a huge effect especially to people who have small earnings. She cited the big increase in the cost of comercial rice.
Poe hopes President Rodrigo Duterte would be able to find a replacement who will do the job.
“Your job in the NFA is to ensure that its rice in the market will not be the way it is now,” said Poe.
“So if he still has delicadeza or conscience, konsiyensya, perhaps, he should resign,” she added.
She also questioned Aquino’s leadership and choice of personnel and his decision to remove personnel from the ports to check on the rice imports.
She bared that a certain Marigold de Castro was in charge of rice-related businesses in Region 3 and acted as “front” for the NFA chief, while a certain Ritchie Carpio, De Castro’s cousin, allegedly acted as an “enforcer” of Aquino’s directives who has a direct hand in employees’ transfer if they defy Aquino’s orders.
Aquino denied the accusation saying he does not meddle in the local procurement of rice but admitted that NFA has failed to comply with the 15-day buffer stock policy for almost a year.
With no lower-priced rice available in the market, prices of rice skyrocketed, making the expensive variety the only available option for Filipinos.
The NFA was put on a spotlight after it said its buffer stocks of cheap rice were running low. Aquino said it only has 1.7 days of existing stock, as against the mandated 15-day buffer stock at any given time and 30 days at the onset of the lean months of July to September.
The heavily subsidized state-run grains agency will import 250,000 metric tons of rice mainly from Vietnam and Thailand to replenish its stock.
Meanwhile, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Wednesday dared the National Food Authority officials who got a dressing down from the senators to resign if they it find it difficult to serve the public.
Roque said NFA officials should be legally responsible for issuing statement about rice shortage that led to panic buying and caused prices of rice to increase.
Senator Cynthia Villar slammed the NFA officials during a senate hearing after announcing a shortage of NFA rice in the country.
The NFA earlier said the agency’s rice stocks have been depleted due to multiple typhoons before the end of 2017. It said a request for additional importation has yet to be approved.
“First of all, it’s not true that we have a rice shortage. I agreed with Senator Cynthia Villar that they should not issue such announcement because it will create chaos and panic buying,” Roque said in a radio interview.
He said they were appointed in their position to serve the public and if they think it would be difficult for them to serve the public, they must go and look for jobs in the private sector.
Roque also maintained that the government would not tolerate corruption after Senator Grace Poe raised during the hearing reports that NFA Administrator Jason Aquino allegedly used two employees to implement questionable orders on local
rice procurement.
“Don’t wait for the President to announce that you would be the next government officials to be axed,” Roque said.