INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines–An official of the National Food Authority (NFA) seemed unprepared during a hearing conducted Monday by the House of Representatives on the alleged overpricing of rice importations.
This was because NFA deputy administrator Ludovico Jarina failed to provide the agriculture and food security joint committee hearing figures on the reported overpricing of government’s rice importation program from Vietnam by as much as P825 million.
The Inquirer reported that some 205,700 metric tons (MT) of rice imports in April 2013 were overpriced by $34 per MT, while 500,000 MT imported in November were overpriced by $23.69.
Food security committee chairperson Butil party-list representative Agapito Guanlao asked Jarina for figures on computing the alleged overpricing.
“We don’t know how the allegation on overpricing was computed. It should first be proven how they said there was overpricing,” Jarina answered in Filipino.
Guanlao pointed out that the overpricing allegations may have come from the fact that the NFA, which has the mandate to import rice in case of shortage, delivers the imports from the ports all the way to various warehouses nationwide.
He noted that to put a figure on alleged overpricing, the NFA should reveal the cost of delivery from port to warehouses.
But Jarina still failed to provide the figures.
“Right now, I did not bring the actual records,” he said.
An irate Guanlao interjected: “I just want a figure. Para mawala na kasi ‘yung (mga allegations). Estimate lang naman. 20 years na kayo d’yan.”
(I just want a figure. Just to clear the allegations. I only want an estimate. You’ve been working there for 20 years.)
The panel then resolved to summon Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, who heads the NFA council that approved the importation of 205,700 MT of rice in March 2013 and an additional 500,000 MT in November to “serve as a buffer stock for the December 2013-March 2014 period.”