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[av_heading heading=’Catch rice smugglers, authorities urged’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’18’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
BY PRINCE GOLEZ
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Thursday, March 1, 2018
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MANILA – Authorities were urged to act against a suspected big-time rice smuggler and other syndicates believed to be operating under the nose of the National Food Authority (NFA).
Davidson Bangayan, also known as David Tan, has long been alleged to be a rice smuggler but not one case has been filed against him, Grace Poe said at a Senate hearing into rice shortage.
“Nasa hearing natin iyan noon. Mismong ang ating Presidente sinabi na siya ay dadakpin. May kaso ba yan o hanggang ngayon wala pa rin? Hindi pa rin matunton?” Poe said.
A Senate inquiry in 2004 established that Bangayan and Tan were one person but the businessman insisted that the person named in intelligence reports as a big-time rice smuggler was not him.
Bureau of Customs officials had said they do not have any record of Bangayan or Tan while NFA officials told the senators that no “David Bangayan” has participated in their biddings or issued with rice import permits.
But the NFA admitted that some people suspected to be involved in illegal activities were employed by the agency.
Meanwhile the Department of Justice and the National Bureau of Investigation were asked to shed light on the cases filed against suspected big-time rice smugglers.
The government had so far filed three cases under Republic Act 10845, or the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016, against suspected rice smugglers and illegal importers in Cebu, Subic and Zamboanga, Poe said.
For his part, Sen. Francis Pangilinan questioned inconsistent government data on rice supply.
The economic planning office reported an over-triple increase in distribution while the NFA announced that the rice supply will last for only two days, said Pangilinan.
“At the same time na nagkaroon ng statement na two days na lang ang buffer stock, there is an increase in distribution? How can that be?” asked the senator.
“Kung kulang na ang supply pero mataas naman ang increase sa merkado ng bigas ng NFA, saan napunta iyong 245 percent volume?” he said.
Early this month the NFA announced it had only two days’ worth of NFA rice left as they await clearance to import.
The National Economic and Development Authority meanwhile claimed there was an increase in the market penetration of NFA rice./PN
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