Tuesday, April 15, 2008
13 rice traders sued for 'hoarding'
MANILA -- Criminal complaints were filed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) against 13 alleged rice traders for alleged violation of Republic Act (RA) 7581 or The Price Act and other laws that prohibit hoarding and other similar offenses.
The complaint was forwarded to the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Task Force on Rice Hoarding for preliminary investigation, chaired by Senior State Prosecutor Roberto Lao, to determine whether there is a probable cause to pursue the filing of criminal charges against them before the court.
Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr. said the suspects would be placed in the Bureau of Immigration's hold-departure list to prevent them from fleeing the country to evade the charges.
Charged were Anthony Choi Angeles, Romeo Mariano Jr., Eleonor Rodriguez, Meynardo Guevarra, Francisco Dio, Arnel Lagonoy, Mary Ann Magno, Geonell Vin Centeno, Delia Barreda, Sofia Guzman, Prestifero Prado, Leonides Manalo and Lydia Supremido.
The rice traders are facing charges of violation of the provisions of RA 7581, which prohibit illegal price manipulation through the commission of hoarding, cornering or hoarding of grain, unauthorized possession of government rice and diversion of government stocks by retailers authorized to sell government stocks, unauthorized re-bagging or re-sacking of government rice in commercial sacks, selling or lending government stocks to another grains businessman, lack of required signboard and lack of guaranty bon and fire insurance.
Once found guilty, the rice traders may be sentenced to a maximum of 15 years and may be required to pay P2 million fine.
Gonzalez said the filling of charges against the 13 rice traders only proves the government's no-nonsense campaign to address the perceived rich shortage problem.
He also assured the public that the government is doing all it can to alleviate the rice problem, adding that the country has sufficient rice stocks that would last for 57 days.
He added that steps are being made to ensure that the country's rice reserve will be increased in the coming days.
The DOJ said the government is now talking with the Thailand and Vietnam governments in order to get more supply of rice.
The Philippines recently imported about 1.5 million metric tons (MTs) of rice from Vietnam recently even as the United States promised to supply the country with cheap rice to augment its reserves.
In a related development, two Chinese nationals are facing charges in violation of the immigration act for allegedly manipulating rice supply in Isabela.
Acting immigration commissioner Roy Almoro identified the foreigners as Pan Zhide and Lin Jianye, who are now undergoing deportation proceedings for being undesirable aliens and illegally working in the country.
He said the tourists violated the conditions of their stay in the country as they were engaged in rice trading in the province although their working visas permit them to work for trading companies based in Manila.
The Chinese nationals will be blacklisted and banned from re-entering the Philippines.
They were arrested on April 5 inside two warehouses in Alicia, Isabela.
Almoro also disclosed that the two were among the six Chinese nationals who were investigated by a team of immigration operatives that were dispatched to Isabela two weeks ago to investigate reports that foreign rice traders were cornering the rice supply in the province.
At the same time, the bureau alerted all its alien control officers to check on foreigners doing business in their areas. (Sunnex) |
