Zambales village head apologizes for distributing tainted rice

Residents at Barangay San Miguel in San Antonio, Zambales found weevils and white worms in rice packs they received from their village officials. (Photo by Joanna Rose Aglibot)

SAN ANTONIO, Zambales –– A village chief in this town has apologized after distributing more than 60 rice packs that contained weevils and white worms.

Fortunato dela Cruz of Barangay San Miguel said he was not aware that his supplier had delivered tainted rice.

“I just would like to express my apology to our villagers. We did not intend to give you bags of tainted rice,” Dela Cruz told the Inquirer.

Some residents said they saw lice and molds in the bags, which also had a bad smell.

A rice dealer had also claimed that he was asked by the village’s treasurer to falsify the receipts to conceal the right amount of rice bought from him.

The dealer said the treasurer ordered 60 sacks of rice worth P850 each.

“They wanted me to adjust the price. They asked me to put P2,000 in the receipt for each of 60 sacks because the barangay had a lot of other expenses,” the dealer said. Each sack contains 25 kilos of rice.

But Dela Cruz and the treasurer denied this, saying they have yet to obtain a receipt from the dealer.

Edited by LZB