CONTAINER vans have begun emitting the stench of rotten rice at the Cebu International Port (CIP) as customs officials await resolution of a policy controversy and a factional war in Manila.
Although officials deny the existence of rotten rice, hundreds of thousands of bags arrived last March worth hundreds of millions of pesos. Top quality rice imported from Thailand and Vietnam have been subjected to the elements for over two months now. Di na madunot?
Local customs authorities say the shipments arrived without import permits. But these were imported based on allocations under an official importation program and the National Food Authority (NFA) reported 99.86 percent accomplishment in terms of advance payment of customs duties through the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP).
The consignees, now unfairly labelled as rice smugglers, imported in good faith. But NFA Administrator Jayson Aquino refused to give them the import permits supposedly because these shipments missed his Feb. 28, 2017 deadline.
Until now, he refused to acknowledge the NFA Council extension of the deadline to March 31, 2017 because he pushed for the corruption-laden government-to-government (G2G) transactions.
This week, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez announced that President Duterte is allowing importation through rice traders. Behind the scenes, Digong sought his old friend, Cabinet Secretary Jun Evasco, during a Cabinet meeting. This led to an NFAC meeting where the president was appraised of the rice situation in the country.
To recall, a Palace clique backing Aquino tried to box out Evasco in favor of G2G schemes. Thus, the ill-advised dismissal of Evasco’s top aide based on wrong information.
Apparently, the snakes underestimated Evasco and the NFAC, which is composed of top Cabinet officials who opposed G2G importation. Various quarters, judging from the wave of publicity in Manila-based broadsheets, denounced Aquino and favored opening the opportunity to import rice to more rice traders. This is the strategy pushed by Cabsec Evasco to drown out the rice cartels.
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Did the Commission on Appointments reject Gina Lopez as environment secretary because she was yellow? But non-LP senators like Loren Legarda, Manny Pacquiao, JV Ejercito, and even TitoSen voted for her. Ironically, Rep. Josephine Sato of Mindoro Occidental, the congressman who led the CA opposition against Gina, is listed as a Liberal.
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In a Congress that’s supposedly free of pork barrel, DSWD Secretary Judy Taguiwalo is finding it difficult to get confirmation because she opposed moves by some legislators to get their filthy hands on DSWD funds for use as pork. The confirmation of Judy would be a victory against corruption.
Meanwhile, DAR’s Ka Paeng Mariano is leading the charge towards breaking up Hacienda Luisita. Hmmm.
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Now a mother to her Kilusang Pagbabago family, Doris will celebrate with them today. Advance Happy Birthday and Mother’s Day! @anol_cebu in Twitter