Saturday, April 19, 2008 Control measures set for NFA rice buying By Annabelle L. Ricalde
OFFICIALS of the National Food Authority (NFA) has uncovered a better remedy for the chaotic rice distribution in Cogon market for almost two weeks now, where big crowds queued since early dawn for low-priced rice.
Lyn Perocho, 27, a fruit salad vendor in Cogon market, commented that Friday's selling is much better than of the past weeks where thousands of consumers pushed and shoved their way to buy NFA rice.
"Kay kung walay priority number daghan gyud ang makuyapan (Had priority numbers not issued, many will surely faint)," Perocho said, adding that the system has instituted sanity to the disorderly rice distribution in the past weeks and has prevented fights at the lines.
Not everyone favors the new control measure, though.
Tata Abecia, a 42-year-old vendor, said the control system only contributed to delays at the queues. Abecia alleged that the ones in-charge in distributing the priority numbers are favoring friends and relatives.
Other rice buyers who spoke to this paper in condition of anonymity claimed that the NFA retailers and unscrupulous NFA and City Economic Enterprises Department (Ceed) personnel sold control numbers at P20.
Helen Osin, president of the Grains Retailer Confederation of the Philippines in the region, denied these claims.
"I will not allow favoritism, and I will not allow any member-retailer to take advantage of this situation," a furious Osin said, adding she will not hesitate to expel erring members.
The control measure was put in place after last Wednesday's incident, in which four elderly women fainted because of too much crowding at the lines.
Osin said she supported the NFA official's decision of implementing the priority number so that everybody could buy rice.
During the Grecon, NFA and Ceed meeting Friday, it was also agreed that the selling will start at 11 a.m., while distribution of the priority number will start at 9 a.m. at the 3rd floor of Cogon market. Exempted from securing control numbers are the senior citizens and pregnant mothers, as they will automatically be given with priority tags at the ground floor.
Meanwhile, NFA's Grains operation assistant Raul Gabutan sought to allay fears of a rice shortage, saying the 130 to 150 sacks allocated daily are so much already for average of 2,500 consumers who regular queue in Cogon.
"Nasobrahan pa man gani og 35 bags adtong Thursday pagsugod sa priority number pero gibaligya gihapon nagbalik-balik naman gani ang uban," Gabutan said.
