The minority bloc at the House of Representatives on Tuesday called for the voluntary resignation of National Food Authority Administrator Jason Aquino amid allegations of corruption and mismanagement at the food agency.
Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez, the bloc’s leader, said Aquino “obviously mismanages” the NFA, as proven by the dwindling stocks in its warehouses.
“What are you waiting for?” Suarez asked Aquino at a news conference. “Isn’t it obvious that the importers are raking in huge sums of money out of this ‘artificial rice crisis’, and even the rice hoarders as well are cashing in?”
“We do not have the rice shortage, but they created this scenario that we are running out of rice stocks,” the lawmaker added.
Suarez said Aquino “should not wait a moment soon but go.” He said Aquino’s incompetence in handling the agency is showing.
“Voluntary [resignation]… he should not wait anymore. The masses have become the casualties of the skyrocketing price of rice,” the Quezon solon said.
“The price of rice is expensive. We want to plant more, we can produce more, but it will be expensive. The reason why we need NFA [rice], the buffer stocks are sold to the masses at an affordable price,” he added.
Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Party-list Rep. Lito Atienza of Buhay backed Suarez’s view.
“There is no reason why we find ourselves in a serious rice problem if not for the incompetence and possibly corruption [of Aquino],” Atienza said.
Administration ally Surigao Rep. Robert Ace Barbers also demanded Aquino’s resignation.
“NFA officials do not seem to agree whether there is rice shortage or there is none, if there is a need to import or not as shown in their conflicting announcements,” Barbers said.
Reports on the rice shortage spread last month when the NFA said it would temporarily stop issuing rice to accredited retailers due to low supply.
However, conflicting government reports on the status of rice supply in Metro Manila have alarmed the public, prompting President Rodrigo Duterte to step in and order both the NFA and its council to stop issuing statements.