CITY OF MALOLOS, Bulacan — Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol and National Food Authority (NFA) administrator Jayson Aquino led surprise inspections on eight NFA licensed grain warehouses of different farmers’ cooperatives in Marilao town Friday night.
NFA provincial manager in Bulacan, Elvira Obana, identified the eight warehouses as those being managed by Faerdig General Merchandise, LOM Marketing, Paracao General Merchandise, Calamba Rice Grower Multi-Purpose Coop, First Asia Agri-Industrial Resource Corp., Marolao General Merchandise, Ongeyesee Trading Corp., and Lambakin Agricultural Marketing Coop.
“The warehouses contain below normal rice stocks and consist mostly of glutinous (malagkit) rice,” Obana said. Stocks and sales inventories were conducted by the NFA on the eight warehouses that were inspected.
“We have been doing inspections of grains business establishments on a regular basis. Our enforcers have been apprehending and penalizing violators for various offenses. But during times like this, our own personnel may not be enough for the job. That is why we have to step up our efforts with the formation of the technical working group (TWG) to work closely with the different enforcement agencies, we hope that we can finally stop any moves of some people or groups to control the rice trade, ” Obana said, quoting Aquino.
Aquino has recently ordered the creation of a TWG composed of some NFA department managers to coordinate with other government enforcement agencies.
In his directive, Aquino stressed the urgency to heed President Rodrigo Duterte’s call during his State of the Nation Address to resolve the issue of artificial rice shortage caused by hoarders, cartels, and their protectors.
“There is a directive from the President to put an end to these anti-people activities of some rice traders and to safeguard the public from this unscrupulous act,” Aquino said.
The TWG will coordinate closely with different intelligence and enforcement agencies, among them the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, Bureau of Customs, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Ports Authority, Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation, and Philippine Competition Commission. (Manny Balbin/PNA)
