Aquino: Rice rotted in NFA warehouses

Debts of the National Food Authority amounting to P171.6 billion could have been used to strengthen social infrastructure, President Benigno Aquino III said in his first State of the National Address Monday. The loans were used to buy imported rice but most of the commodity simply got spoiled in warehouses, the President said. He revealed that in 2007, the rice agency overbought the commodity to fill in the demand-supply gap, but this did not benefit the public. This, despite the fact that about 4 million Filipinos had nothing to eat, President Aquino said. It would have been better if P12.7 billion of those debts were allotted to the judiciary, P29.6 billion to the conditional-cash transfer, and 113 billion to build classrooms, he added. This was among other anomalies allegedly committed during the Arroyo administration that the President revealed, in keeping with the anti-corruption theme of Aquino's first SONA. He said the government has been purchasing or importing excessive stocks of rice abroad that do not help feed hungry Filipinos. "Nabubulok lang pala (It got spoiled)," he said. Aquino revealed that the Arroyo government bought 900,000 metric tons of rice in 2004 even though only 117,000 metric tons were needed. This was repeated in 2007 when 1.827 million metric tons of rice were imported to fill up a supply gap of 589,000 metric tons. "Hindi ba krimen ito?" (Isn't this a crime?) Aquino said. "Pera na naging bato pa," he said. Former Agriculture Secretary and now Rep. Arthur Yap denied any knowledge of decaying rice in government warehouses. Yap said those who "recommended the import volume" should be questioned. "If [the previous administration] were over-importing, we have to look back at the agency who recommended it," Yap said in an interview with Mel Tiangco on the GMA News Special Coverage of the SONA. "Kaya nga ho nagulat ako kasi ang pag-aangkat ng bigas ay hindi nakasalalay sa isang tao lamang (That’s why I was surprised, because rice importation does not rest on one person)," Yap said, pointing out that it needs the approval an inter-agency committee that includes the Finance Department and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas among other agencies. Yap said he would try to do "whatever it takes" to settle the issue. —VS, GMANews.TV