(Pampanga Vice Gov. Dennis “Delta” Pineda gives relief packs to 12,691 indigent cabalen from the towns of San Luis, Minalin and Sasmuan. Photo Courtesy of Jun Jaso/PIO Pampanga)
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – The dwindling supply of rice especially in areas affected by flooding due to the enhanced southwest monsoon has constrained local government units to ask authorities to intervene in the unloading of the staple from cargo ships.
This developed after shipments of rice imported by the National Food Authority (NFA) reportedly remained stuck inside cargo vessels due the inclement weather, triggering a scarcity of the staple commodity in public markets of flooded areas.
This has left consumers with no choice but to go for the much more expensive commercial rice which is also reported to be limited.
Vice Gov. Dennis “Delta” Pineda said this prompted LGUs in a collective plea in urging pertinent government authorities to immediately intervene to have the shipment immediately be distributed.
They said bad weather is a lame excuse why the rice shipment cannot be unloaded.
Pineda said large tarpaulins can easily be secured to cover the rice shipment from getting wet and 40-footer container vans can also be used to transport the said shipment to protect it from the elements.
The vice governor has been leading continuing relief operations in areas that have remained flooded in Pampanga.
“Rice is a basic component in our relief packs, and we are starting to feel the pinch in the supply, even as shiploads of it remain docked in our ports,” he said.
Consumers are also complaining because the price of commercial rice is reportedly much higher at around P43 per kilo or higher as compared to NFA rice which is priced at only around P27.
An NFA rice retailer said his supply of NFA rice is not enough to meet the increasing demand from consumers.
He said the cause of the delay are the delivery trucks who have a hard time distributing NFA rice due to the rains.
NFA spokesperson Rex Estoperez was quoted as saying that while the 250,000 metric tons of NFA rice acquired through government – to-government procurement are now in Philippine shores, a significant part of these imports remain inside cargo vessels docked in various sea ports due to the inclement weather.
“For example, ngayon hindi natin mababa iyong ating stocks in Manila [and] in Central Luzon dahil nga dito sa bagyo na sunud-sunod,” he said on Monday.
In earlier interviews, Estoperez claimed prices of commercial rice will return to normal once NFA rice shipments are brought to the markets.
