FIVE sacks of NFA rice intended for grade 1 pupils of Barangay Nug-as, Alcoy were discovered stolen last Wednesday morning.
The sacks were placed in the stockroom of the Nug-as Elementary School, in a mountain village some 14 kilometers away from the town proper.
The school’s caretaker, Marites Gonzales, and property custodian, Pedro Plando, reported to the police station that the National Food Authority (NFA) delivered 26 sacks of rice, which is good for 35 days of distribution. These were to be given to grade 1 pupils.
The first 16 sacks had already been distributed last April 4.
5 sacks
The remaining 10 sacks were kept in the stockroom of the school and were to be distributed on Wednesday, along with the releasing of report cards.
When the teachers arrived at 7 a.m., they were surprised to see that the stockroom was already open. Of the 10 sacks of rice, only five remained.
Plando said that he had asked that the sacks of rice be kept at the nearby barangay outpost but claimed that officials from the Department of Education (DepEd) decided against it and ordered the sacks of rice be kept in the school.
The door to the stockroom had no real lock, only a piece of thick wire was used to keep the door closed.
The remaining five sacks were transferred to the outpost, where tanods could keep watch over it.
PO3 Eduardo Santander of the Alcoy Police Station said they believe the burglars were from the area because they knew where the sacks were stored.
Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) Director Carmelo Valmoria said they are trying to establish the exact date when the rice sacks were stolen.
Plando and Gonzales believe it was between Saturday and Tuesday.
At the Cebu Provincial Board (PB), PB Member Juan Bolo requested Cebu Schools Division Superintendent Serena Uy to look into the theft of the NFA rice stocks.
Bolo said that as part of the Province’s feeding program, grade 1 students are given rice subsidy from the government. (MEA/With GMD)
