MORE residents in Bacolod City are availing the P27 per kilogram government rice through the Tagpuan Rice Response Delivery Program of the National Food Authority (NFA) in Negros Occidental.

NFA-Negros Occidental yesterday opened the fourth “tagpuan” outlet in Barangay Singcang-Airport benefiting some 500 residents.

Like other “tagpuan” centers in the city, the agency has allocated 20 bags of NFA rice. Each resident of the barangay may buy up to two kilograms.

Frisco Canoy, provincial manager of NFA-Negros Occidental, reiterated that the concept of “tagpuan” is to bring closer to the public especially those in the marginalized sector the “cheaper yet quality” government rice.

For NFA, “tagpuan” means a place where people normally converge like outside portion of the markets and barangay halls and other public places.

“Tagpuan” centers, usually in mobile, are on top of the regular rice retail outlets accredited by the NFA.

Not all consumers can be catered by regular NFA rice outlets so “tagpuan” is positioned to address such gap, Canoy said, stressing that “we are ensuring that those availing the cheaper government rice are mainly the poor.”

The establishment of “tagpuan” center, which operates one a week, is in collaboration with the Grains Retailers Confederation (Grecon) in Negros Occidental.

On September 13, the NFA launched the third “tagpuan” in Barangay Banago.

The first two outlets were opened at Barangays Sum-ag and Granada also in Bacolod City last September 4 and 12, respectively.

On Friday, September 21, another “tagpuan” outlet will be opened at Barangay Felisa, still in Bacolod City.

Canoy earlier said they are opening more “tagpuan” centers in the province, including those outside Bacolod City.

The agency has already received some applications from retailers, yet subject to validation whether there is a market day in their areas.

It is also closely coordinating with the Grecon as to other retailers who are interested in putting up “tagpuans” in the province.

“We really want to sustain the program even once a week,” he earlier told SunStar Bacolod, adding that “we will continue this scheme in order to serve especially the depressed areas.”

Meanwhile, Canoy, in a television interview, said officials of NFA in Western Visayas along with those of other agencies recently met and formed a composite team to focus on monitoring on possible rice hoarding and smuggling in the region.

Other members of the team include the National Bureau of Investigation, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, Bureau of Costumes and Department of Trade and Industry.

Though the result of the recent inspection showed that there is no rice hoarding in Negros Occidental, inspection of warehouses will continue to prevent possible violations, he added.