NFA provincial manager Adelaida Nuestro led a team of inspectors in beginning to inspect 500 rice retail outlets with 100 accredited NFA rice retailers in 11 towns and one city in Bataan.
“We were instructed by our officials to inspect public markets and at the same time inform retailers and consumers to be careful in their rice purchase. If they notice something unusual, we ask that it be reported to us immediately,” she said.
Nuestro said that so far, they have not received any report of the presence of fake rice in the province.
“Wala ritong fake rice at siguro hindi na makakarating dito sapagka’t ang mga supply ng bigas galing Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan at Isabela.
Assure ko 101 percent, wala rito,” said rice retailer Eugene Sagun.
“Walang fake rice dito. Kung meron, siguradong may nagreklamo na. Kapag inuunaban ang bigas, lumulutang ang fake rice,” said Edgardo Malixi, president of rice retailers in Balanga City.
Malixi, Sagun and other rice retailers assured the NFA inspection team that they would immediately report the discovery of any fake rice.
Nuestro said that the price of commercial rice in Bataan is getting cheaper. “Hindi gaanong mabili tuloy ang NFA rice, hindi pinapansin dahil sa kamurahan ng commercial rice kahit ang NFA rice na maganda rin naman ay P27 lamang ang isang kilo,” she said.
She said that there is no problem in rice supply not only in Bataan but nationwide.
“Maraming rice inventory, walang dapat ipag-alala.”
