|
Thursday, June 05, 2008
NFA, NBI start drive against hoarders
By Nelson C. Bagaforo and Rhodamae M. Hernandez
DAVAO CITY -- The National Food Authority (NFA) in Davao City and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Southeastern Mindanao started Wednesday their no-nonsense drive against rice hoarders, blamed for the continuing increase in the prices of commercial rice in Mindanao.
NFA inspectors and NBI agents, who belong to the Rice Monitoring and Enforcement Task Force, conducted inspections on rice and palay warehouses all over Davao City Wednesday to ensure traders are not hoarding the staple.
Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo
As consumers continued to flock to NFA retail outlets, which allocated two kilos of the cheap NFA rice for every buyer, Davao del Sur Governor Douglas Cagas on Wednesday asked President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to declare a state of calamity in areas where prices of rice have surged to more than P50 a kilo, from P34 a kilo two weeks ago.
Placing these areas, including the Davao Region, in a state of calamity will allow government to take control of the prices of rice and empower authorities to raid warehouses of suspected hoarders.
Cagas said this is necessary to prevent riots and other disturbances that have occurred over similar problems in other countries.
Although thousands of sacks of rice were found stored in some big warehouses in Davao City, the task force believes its owners are not into illegal activities like hoarding.
NBI spokesperson Arcelito C. Albao said they have inspected the Winbeam Warehouse owned by a certain Henry Lim, Davao Bay Warehouse owned by Ho Han Chay, RHTA Commercial -- all in Bo. Obrer and Metauco Rice Mill in Toril.
Albao said owners of the warehouses are not into hoarding, but some committed violations, such as failing to put a signboard, operating without NFA license, and not marking and labeling the sacks used.
"Walay hoarding but, for instance ang Winbeam, walay markings and label ang ilang sako but the NFA field inspector said na commercial rice ang naa sa sako (There is no hoarding. However, sacks of Winbeam, for instance, have no markings but the NFA field inspector said the sack contains commercial rice)," Albao told Sun.Star Davao.
The Davao Bay Warehouse, on the other hand, has no signboard, no NFA license, and no label and markings on the sacks.
"These are just light offenses and will be sanctioned administratively," Albao said. "The owners will be called to appear at the office of the NFA to explain their side."
He said owners of warehouses inspected Wednesday are into retail business with outlets in the city.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) said Wednesday it will continue its campaign against rice hoarding in Mindanao, particularly in the cities of Davao, General Santos, Cagayan de Oro, and Butuan, where prices of commercial rice have reached P52 a kilo.
"I have ordered the NBI to restart the campaign against rice hoarders. We sort of suspended this campaign before when the President said we should concentrate on the diversion of stocks. But they are now taking advantage of that situation, so we will go after their scalp," Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr. said.
Gonzalez said rice hoarding in Mindanao was much worse, but it was not an isolated concern.
The President has ordered the task force to look into the alleged rice hoarding in Mindanao following a report from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) that commercial rice in the area is being sold at P51 per kilo, when it was being sold in Metro Manila at the price of just P30 a kilo.
Agriculture Undersecretary Jesus Emmanuel Paras meantime said hoarding did not trigger the high prices of rice in Mindanao, particularly in Davao.
Paras said the high prices is caused by farmers withholding palay (unhusked rice) in anticipation of the last harvested crop or the season. He said the farmers are hoping to sell the last palay stock at P24 a kilo, from the current rate of P17 per kilo. (Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Dumaguete. (June 5, 2008 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here. |
|
|
|
[return to top]
[home]
|
|
Court finds Tribune publisher guilty of libel