Monday, April 14, 2008 Mongaya: Atkin’s diet By Anol Mongaya Panahom
THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) blames the National Food Authority (NFA) for the blunder they committed the other week. Imagine, they raided a rice shipment being inventoried and under guard by the Bureau of Customs. Their flimsy excuse was the NFA certification that said the owner of the bodega had no permit for storing rice.
But the court later realized that the bodega actually had an NFA permit. The NBI should have asked for the NFA permit for the warehouse and not a permit issued to the warehouse owner.
Thus, RTC Judge Fortunato de Gracia quashed the warrant. In effect, the decision of the court vindicated Regan King and his group being the private partner in the rice transaction facilitated by the Philippine International Trading Center (PITC) in behalf of a farmer’s coop.
In my view, the NBI should leave imported rice and smuggling to customs and focus on the hoarding of rice. After all, President Arroyo had loosened import controls on rice. This should increase our imports that could be sold at a cheaper price.
On the other hand, I have been telling people in jest that the solution to the global rice supply crisis is the Atkin’s diet. Let’s just stop eating rice in a bid to reduce our carbohydrate intake.
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Aside from the rising cost of rice, the price of fuel continues to rise. One’s P100 will only be enough for a little over two liters. With the cost of transportation higher, expect a general rise in the price of common commodities.
I’m afraid many can’t anymore stretch the strong peso to make both ends meet. Government should somehow look for ways to increase the income of ordinary folk or face widespread unrest.
Look, if even the well-paid workers at the Naga Power Complex talk of a strike, how much more people who only earn a few pesos every day?
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With already over 60 rank-and-file workers signing the notice to strike, the Salcon Power Independent Union (SPIU) only needs at least 15 more votes to support their strike call in a strike vote once the 30-cooling day period expires today, I’m afraid a strike might actually erupt at the Naga Power Complex.
Aside from Naga City Mayor Val Chiong, who had a dialogue with the workers after issuing a call for industrial peace, and Gov. Gwen Garcia, other Cebu officials are quite unconcerned.
But shouldn’t we be preparing now for the possibility of widespread brownouts if the SPIU succeeds in paralyzing the Naga Power Complex that supplies some 200 megawatts to Cebu’s power needs.
Will the Visayan Electric Company (Veco) resort to rotating brownouts? Will we ask for additional power barges? Can the geothermal plants in Tongonan, Leyte fill in the vacuum and keep the whole Visayas grid powered?
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In 1994, workers at the Naga Power Complex only wore black armbands to push for benefits and security of tenure. This was a time when the plants at the complex conked out from time to time causing a power crisis then. They know the public would frown on their cause if they even talked of a strike knowing they were already getting high salaries then.
I remember that the solution then was the takeover of the Salcon group under a 15-year rehabilitate, operate, and maintain agreement using the same set of workers.
After 14 years, the same workers are among the highest paid in the industry. Yet, they are now calling for a strike, in effect widespread brownouts, because they want their union recognized.
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Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. reportedly “lifted bodily” Cebu Congressman Antonio Cuenco’s baselines measure, House Bill 3216, for the Senate in a move to fast-track the country’s compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
I agree the approval of the measure is important because the deadline for the submission of a law defining the country’s territory in compliance with UNCLOS provisions is May next year. “This is the third request for extension by the Philippines so that it can comply with UNCLOS,” Pimental was quoted as saying during the Kapihan sa Senado Thursday.
Meanwhile, Cuenco is expected to deliver a privileged speech on the baseline bill come April 21.
(Check out my blog “In Between Columns” at anol.blogs. friendster.com/anols_blog)
