Naga trader loses license to sell NFA rice over rebagging

NAGA CITY—For rebagging 500 bags of government-subsidized imported rice to be passed off as commercial rice, the National Food Authority (NFA) decided to cancel the license of a trader here who the NFA said was caught in the act by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in August last year.

Edna R. de Guzman, manager of the NFA in Camarines Sur province, said Jerbert Yao, the rice trader caught rebagging NFA rice, had been penalized with a P15,000 fine and cancellation of license to sell rice in the city.

De Guzman said the decision to penalize Yao was the outcome of an administrative case filed against him after a team from the CIDG and NFA inspected his warehouse in Barangay Mabulo here on Aug. 16, 2014.

Chief Insp. Errol Garchitorena Jr., CIDG chief in Camarines Sur, earlier said law enforcers were able to confiscate over 500 bags of NFA rice imported from Vietnam that were being transferred from sacks with NFA labels to plain blue sacks in the warehouse of Sweet Fortune Commercial inside the compound of trading establishment JY Brothers in Zone 6, Mabulo Drive here. Juan Escandor Jr., Inquirer Southern Luzon