BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
ILOILO – A Sangguniang Bayan (SB) member of San Enrique urged the National Food Authority (NFA) regional and central offices to investigate the alleged diversion of more than 6,000 sacks of rice supposedly allotted for the town last year.
According to SB member Rhaylan Cordero, NFA released the rice to accredited retailers in the town.
“However, these same sacks of rice meant to alleviate the hunger of the poor in San Enrique were not sold here,” Cordero said.
As indicated in the logbooks of NFA, according to Cordero, government rice were released to the following:
- 1,454 sacks of rice to ABACA Farmers represented by Ricardo Celerico
- 535 sacks of rice to Bugtong Hanzel
- 1,800 sacks of rice to FCRC Small Farmers represented by Ernie Caballero
- 190 sacks of rice to Reynold Padernal
- 707 sacks of rice to Heda Abelacio
- 2,085 sacks of rice to Cherie Navarro; and
- 100 sacks of rice to Helen Pamposa.
Cordero wondered what happened to these accredited NFA rice retailers.
“All we are asking is for the retailers to simply tell us what happened to those sacks of rice. These are valuable government resources meant to help our less fortunate brethren,” he stressed.
If Cordero were to be believed, the market administrator or market inspector of San Enrique has not issued certification to these rice retailers.
He also said another 500 sacks of rice could not be accounted for.
The shipment was supposedly intended as donation to victims of super typhoon “Yolanda.”
The Sanggunian Bayan never passed a resolution requesting for rice shipment from NFA, Cordero said.
He suspected that a town official may have requested for the rice by faking an SB resolution.
“Just like any other scheme to defraud the people and the government, there are prominent personas behind this,” Cordero said./PN
