Sen. Grace Poe. INQUIRER / Grig C. Montegrande
Senator Grace Poe on Tuesday said those responsible for rice price fixing should be unmasked and be held accountable.
The Senate is currently conducting an investigation on the reported shortage of rice stocks of the National Food Authority.
“To hold accountable also the people who have to be accountable perhaps for the price fixing, o kung ano-ano pang ginawa na pampahirap sa ating consumers at ating magsasaka,” Poe said in her opening statement.
According to the senator, alleged syndicates controlling the government’s rice importation and procurement program have been an issue.
She said the government had not done anything concrete to stop the syndicates.
“Tinutukan natin itong mga pangalan na ito pero hanggang ngayon ata ay malaya pa rin sila at hindi pa rin nakakasuhan,” she said.
“Sa tingin ko lahat ng mga batas na ating gustong ipatupad ay balewala kung wala naman tayong tamang implementasyon ng batas,” the senator added.
Poe earlier tagged the controversy as “downright bewildering” given a “record-breaking surplus” in the supply of rice in the country.
“It is downright bewildering to allegedly have a record-breaking surplus in rice supply on one hand and experience a low inventory of rice in the warehouses of NFA on the other hand and thereby needing to import rice,” she said. /cbb
READ: Poe calls for Senate probe on ‘rice shortage, cartel’