Malacañang is still waiting for an explanation why the 133,000 sacks of rice imported from Thailand were infested with weevils, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said Thursday.
“As of now, we’re waiting [to find out] why it happened,” Roque said in Filipino in a radio interview.
Roque said President Rodrigo Duterte already knew what happened to the imported rice, which arrived in Subic Bay on Aug. 2.
He said the rice could have been delivered to market were it not for the weevil infection inside the ship.
“This really should not have happened because the people paid for this imported rice that did not reach us,” Roque said in Filipino.
He said the Palace would look into the matter since the National Food Authority remains under the supervision of the Office of the President.
The rice weevil is a stored product pest which attacks several crops, including wheat, rice, and corn.
Roque said the government will continue to push for the rice tariffication measure to eliminate the government monopoly on imported rice.
“We expect that when there are many supplies, pursuant to the law of supply and demand, the prices will come down,” Roque said in a press briefing Thursday.
Duterte recently certified as urgent the rice tariffication bill, which aims to liberalize the importation of rice.
At the same briefing, Roque said the rice shortage being experienced in Zamboanga is now being addressed by the NFA.
“The solution really is to bring in more supply into Zamboanga City,” he said.
Opposition Senator Francis Pangilinan reiterated his call for NFA Administrator Jason Aquino to resign after reports surfaced about the infested rice—133,000 bags in Subic and 200,000 bags in Albay.
“The NFA cited inclement weather as the reason for the infestation. Is it another issue of lack of planning? Or did the imported rice arrive already infested? If the rice arrived in June, what are the reasons for the delay in unloading?” Pangilinan said in a statement.
“Even as we reiterate our call for the NFA administration to resign, we also want to know: Who is in charge? Who will be held accountable for these continuing crises? Most importantly, is the insecticide used to fumigate the rice guaranteed safe for human consumption, as claimed by the NFA authorities?” he added.
Aquino on Friday warned traders to stop dealing in smuggled rice and manipulating the market price for the staple.
In South Cotabato province, the NFA suspended five of its accredited rice retailers for allegedly diverting and hoarding their allocations of rice.
Agerico Baquiran, NFA-South Cotabato provincial manager, said Friday the suspension of allocation and accreditation of erring rice retailers was made pending an ongoing investigation.
Baquiran did not name the concerned retailers but said they were primarily sanctioned for violating the provisions of the amended Presidential Decree (PD) No. 4 or the NFA Act. The erring retailers are based in Koronadal City and in the municipalities of Banga, Surallah, and Tantangan, he said.
“The common violation was diversion of allocated stocks that resulted in the unreasonable depletion of supplies,” he said in a media forum.
Baquiran said they documented cases, in which the NFA rice stocks of the concerned accredited retailers suddenly disappeared from the stores. He said some retailers have also lent or sold their rice allocations to other rice traders and outlets.
The official said they have imposed fines on the five suspended retailers but noted that they could face more sanctions once they complete the investigation.
As of this month, he said the agency has 98 active rice retailers within the province’s 10 towns and lone city.
Baquiran said their regulatory and enforcement personnel are regularly monitoring retailers to prevent possible abuses related to their allocated stocks.
Aside from the diversion of supplies, he said they are monitoring the possible adulteration, rebagging, and conversion of NFA rice into commercial stocks.
He said they have tapped the market supervisors of local government units as deputized enforcers against violations of PD No. 4.
