Supplier faces probe as donated rice spoiled

MABALACAT CITY—Irate provincial government officials here sought the blacklisting of the supplier of the 570 sacks of rice intended for survivors of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” in Tacloban City, which were found to be unfit for human consumption.

The 570 sacks of rice bought by the Pampanga provincial government from DD’s Supermarket in Apalit town for some P2.5 million, or P1,650 per

50-kg sack, were carried by the relief team led by Vice Gov. Dennis Pineda to Tacloban City recently, only to be returned to this province after it was found that the rice was spoiled.

Reports said Pineda’s team had to buy rice from other parts of Leyte province that it distributed to typhoon victims in Tacloban just “to save the face” of the Pampanga government.

Owners of DD’s Supermarket told reporters here that they were forced to outsource the rice from a rice dealer in the City of San Fernando, as they had no supply at the time and there was an immediate need to supply 570 sacks to the Pampanga relief team.

One of the owners said their mistake was they did not check the rice stocks they bought from the dealer in San Fernando because they were in a hurry to load these on the relief trucks.

They said they were willing to cooperate with the investigation of the Pampanga provincial board and the bids and awards committee on the case.

Members of the provincial board said they would seek a ban on DD’s Supermarket from further transacting with the provincial government as a result of the spoiled rice shipment. Jun Malig, Inquirer Central Luzon