Rice, rice everywhere – but not enough to eat

QUEZON CITY, Philippines - Cheap rice has been flooding the roadsides of Quezon City in the last three weeks. Every day, at least five trucks from the National Food Authority (NFA) and the military bring thousands of kilograms of imported rice to throngs of people along Commonwealth Avenue. But while the government keeps on harping that there is no shortage in the supply of the grain, the sight itself – trucks escorted by soldiers and the rush of people competing to amass rice – gives the impression that there is one. "Walang oras umihi, walang oras kumain," said "Tina," one of the rice sellers from the NFA. "Sobrang init at alikabok. Ni uminom ng tubig, di ko magawa. Hindi matapos ang pila (There’s no time to pee, no time to eat. It’s too hot and dusty. I don’t even have the time to drink water. The line doesn’t end)." Crowd control problem At any given hour last Monday, 100 to 200 people would line up before each truck. It would take at least an hour before one got to buy five kilos of the staple, the maximum quantity allowed by the government. At times, buying rice would take up to two hours whenever the NFA team leader of a rolling store failed to institute a system to fast-track the sale. Crowd control was also problem of NFA employees selling rice in the area. "We are exposed to danger," "Manuel," a member of the NFA rolling store team said. "We don’t have enough people in the field to man the operations of NFA rolling stores. Every day, is a stressful day, we encounter infiltrators and instigators." When GMANews.TV went to the site on Monday and Tuesday, only the military trucks, which contained 30 sacks each, were guarded by soldiers. The NFA trucks, which carried 100 sacks each, were without security escorts. 'Infiltrators' and 'instigators' "Infiltrators," according to Manuel, are a group of people who "hop" in each NFA truck to amass more rice than allowed. "Karaniwan, isang grupo sila," he said. "Hanggang five kilos lang dapat kada tao. Pero sila, pagkabili sa isang truck, pupunta naman sa isa pa, hanggang makaipon sila ng isang sakong bigas sa isang araw (The infiltrators often operate in a group. Each person is only allowed to buy up to five kilos of rice. But the infiltrators, after buying rice from one truck, go to another truck, until they amass a sack of rice at the end of the day)." But the NFA, at least until last Tuesday, had not yet instituted any system to go against repeat buyers, this writer observed when she volunteered to sell rice at one of the NFA rolling stores. Manuel said it would be worth finding out if the rice bought by the "infiltrators" would actually go directly to homes, or would be rebagged and resold by retailers. He said children were also being used by the infiltrators in "hoarding" rice. An 11-year boy who was selling plastic bags at the site felt his pocket full of coins. "Limampiso isang kilo, minsan bente pag tatlo (I get paid five pesos for a kilo of rice sometimes twenty pesos for three kilos)," said the boy when asked how much he usually got in buying rice for others. "Instigators," on the other hand, are those who overtake others in the line, according to Manuel. "Sila yung singit nang singit sa pila," he said. "Eh ang init-init, lalo tuloy umiinit ang ulo ng mga taong nauunahan. Eh ang hirap sawayin n’on, wala kaming tao para do’n (They’re the ones who overtake others on the line. The hot weather all the more makes people angry at these instigators. But we don’t have people to pacify them)." Hot-headed buyers A man from Erap City in Montalban, Rizal, who lined up for over on hour last Monday, lost his cool when he found out that a rice truck from the NFA had already run out of stock. "Ano ba ‘yan!" the man shouted at this writer, thinking that she was a part of the NFA team. "Wala kayong kasistema-sistema. Andaming umuulit sa pagbili, naubusan na kami. Wala ba kayong indelible ink o stamp pad man lang? (What a mess. You don’t have any system. You’ve run out of rice for us because you allowed others to buy more than once. Don’t you have any indelible ink or stamp pad?)." After being told that this writer was not part of the team, the man and a group of other complainants went near the NFA truck and confronted the NFA team selling rice. "Pa’no kami kakain mam’ya, wala kaming bigas (What are we going to eat tonight – we don't have any rice)?" shouted a woman from Payatas. The team leader of the rolling store, who was too exhausted overseeing the operations, managed to calm down the angry people, and told them to line up early the next day. Familiar sight On Tuesday, more rice – about 10 truckloads – arrived at a vacant lot near a market along Commonwealth Avenue at 7 a.m. Throngs of people again hurriedly queued for the staple – the poor who deserve cheaper rice – mostly women with their children, and elderly people, the infiltrators who looked poor, the instigators, and the children who bought rice for others. An NFA employee sighed at seeing the now familiar sight. "I hope the rice goes to those who really need it," the employee said. "Otherwise no supply of cheap rice will be enough for those who don’t really need it but just want more." - GMANews.TV