Smuggled, hoarded rice must be sold at very low price, says Romualdez
Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez and lawmakers, including Deputy Majority Leader Erwin Tulfo, Rep. Ambrosio Cruz, Jr., and Committee Chairman Mark Enverga, joined the Bureau of Customs to inspect rice warehouses in Bulacan amid rising price concerns.
MANILA, Philippines — House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez suggests rice smuggled or hoarded by traders should be forfeited and sold to the public at a very low price.
The Speaker made the statement after inspecting a rice warehouse in Bulacan.
“Rice found to be smuggled or hoarded should be forfeited in favor of the government, in favor of the people’s interest, for distribution or sale at a very low price,” he said.
Romualdez also said that jail terms for smugglers and hoarders may deter people from engaging in such activities.
“Kung hindi makukuha sa simpleng pakiusap, baka magtanda sila kapag nakulong,” he added.
(If this cannot be done by a simple request, maybe they will recall it if they are jailed.)
Romualdez observed from the inspection that the country has an adequate supply of rice.
He suspects the increase in grain cost happens because traders deliberately limit the supply in the market.
He said they first wait for prices to increase before releasing rice from the storage facilities.
He noted some businessmen are hoarding the commodity for as long as three months.
This is the second time the Speaker went to Bulacan to inspect a rice warehouse.
The first time was on August 24 when he joined Bureau of Customs operatives who padlocked three warehouses near the boundaries of Bocaue and Balagtas towns.
SURPRISE CHECK Is the explanation for the surging rice prices somewhere here? Officials, including Speaker Martin Romualdez, ACT-CIS Representative Erwin Tulfo, Bureau of Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio, and Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service chief Alvin Enciso, conduct an unannounced inspection of rice warehouses in Bocaue, Bulacan on August 24, 2023. (File photo from NIÑO JESUS ORBETA)
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