Friday, April 04, 2008 Town welfare officers as retailers of NFA?
THE Cebu Provincial Government proposes that municipal welfare offices in all towns be tapped to serve as retailers of National Food Authority (NFA) rice.
During her meeting with NFA program manager Ramon Atilla and Cebu Provincial Board (PB) members, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia said she wanted to address the rice situation by helping “the poorest of the poor” avail themselves of NFA rice. She described the looming rice crisis as “a very unusual situation.”
Atilla, however, said the proposal still requires the regional office’s approval.
Supply will not be a problem if the NFA regional office approves the proposal, Atilla said.
The NFA has 650,000 sacks of rice stored in their office that are ready to be sold directly in the barangays, if the proposal gets approved.
If the regional office thumbs down their proposal, Atilla said they will ask the NFA central office to approve it instead.
Governor Garcia ordered the Provincial Social Welfare Office to list down the indigent families in various villages of the province.
Under the proposal, at least three kilos of rice will be sold to each family per transaction. The local government unit will coordinate with the NFA for the supply to be sold in “Tindahan Natin” outlets.
Full details of the proposal will be known on Monday, and Garcia has also arranged for an emergency meeting with the mayors to discuss the situation.
The governor also said they will look into the reported shortage of corn in the province.
Cebu PB Members Victor Maambong and Juan Bolo have insisted there is a rice shortage in the province, citing the increase in prices, despite assurances from the NFA.
The PB recently invited NFA assistant program manager Jesus Donque, DA 7 Executive Director Ricardo Oblena and Provincial Agriculturist Necias Vicoy to shed light on the rice situation in Cebu Province.
“Traders say there is a crisis in rice. No. There is no such thing. Rice might just be more expensive by P2 to P3,” Oblena had told PB members.
Maambong, however, urged residents to stay vigilant and immediately report rice hoarders to the authorities. He said he received reports of a rice monopoly in the towns of Dumanjug and Argao. (GMD)
