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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Tougher congressional oversight sought amid NFA shenanigans with buffer rice stocks 

Tougher congressional oversight sought amid NFA shenanigans with buffer rice stocks 

Published Mar 10, 2024 04:25 am

At A Glance

  • Makati City 2nd district Rep. Luis Campos Jr. has underscored the need for tougher congressional oversight of the multi-billion peso Rice Buffer Stocking Program of the government.
  • This, after the alleged shenanigans of the National Food Authority (NFA) when it comes to its disposition of rice stocks from the program came to light.

IMG-7819fbe4841c9e7e7aded441624b9e2d-V-01.jpeg(Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Makati City 2nd district Rep. Luis Campos Jr. has underscored the need for tougher congressional oversight of the multi-billion peso Rice Buffer Stocking Program of the government.

This, after the alleged shenanigans of the National Food Authority (NFA) when it comes to its disposition of rice stocks from the program came to light.

"Congress must take strong action to safeguard the buffer stocking program, which is meant to keep an optimal level of rice reserves at all times for use during emergencies, while providing strong buying support to local farmers," Campos said in a statement on Sunday morning, March 10. 

“We are counting on the Congressional Oversight Committee on Agricultural and Fisheries Modernization to conduct inquiries and draw up recommendations to promote greater transparency and accountability in the buffer stocking operations,” he added. 

Last week, the Office of the Ombudsman placed on preventive suspension NFA Administrator Roderico Bioco and 192 other officials and employees of the agency over the sale of 75,000 sacks of buffer rice stocks to private traders for the relatively low price of P93.75 million.  

Campos, a vice chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriations said Congress had earmarked P9 billion for the buffer stocking program in the 2024 national budget, in addition to the P9 billion allocated in 2023. 

 

READ THIS: 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/3/7/hokus-pokus-tulfo-says-nfa-coa-in-cahoots-to-sell-buffer-rice-stocks-to-private-firms

A separate P5 billion was also set aside this year “for the construction, repair, and rehabilitation of NFA warehouses” to boost the buffer stocking program. 

“We support the forceful measures taken by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., and Speaker Martin Romualdez to ensure that the buffer stocking program’s supplies are used responsibly,” Campos said. 

The buffer stocking program maintains an inventory of rice that may be released in times of calamities, fortuitous events, or shortfall in production. 

The program also sells rice to agencies such as the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), among others. 

Under the law, all the rice for the buffer stocking program must be sourced from local farmers.

 

Related Tags

buffer stock National Food Authority (NFA) luis campos jr.
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