City gov't, NFA to join efforts in monitoring sale of NFA rice
The city government of Iloilo and the National Food Authority (NFA) here agreed to join efforts in monitoring the selling of NFA rice in the market.
Vice Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, who is now the city's OIC mayor on Monday called for a meeting with the National Food Authority (NFA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), business groups and city markets-in-charge to discuss the pressing concern, preparations made by concerned agencies and how the city government could help provide a solution.
Mabilog, in assuring the support of the city, stressed that although Iloilo has more than enough supply of rice, still no one knows what will happen in the future.
NFA provincial manager Hedy Jardeleza announced that since last month, some 192,000 bags of NFA rice have arrived, which were distributed to various areas in Panay.
Another 74,000 bags of NFA rice arrived Sunday at the Iloilo Port, to be unloaded either Monday afternoon or Tuesday and distributed to Panay and Iloilo.
In totality, Western Visayas is slated to receive some 585,000 bags of NFA rice, Jardeleza said.
Moreover, she was assured by the provincial government of Iloilo that there are still standing crops yet to be harvested.
However, she urged LGUs and the community to be vigilant once the NFA starts injecting NFA rice to the market.
"We hope that this time we make sure that the highly subsidized government rice would really go to the sectors which are intended beneficiaries of this rice," she said.
Jardeleza explained that NFA rice will soon be sold in various Tindahan Natin centers.
Vincent de la Cruz, market-in-charge of the Iloilo Terminal Market, added that there have been preliminary talks already as to the placement of the NFA rice at the terminal market.
He said together with the NFA, they initially planned to place it right at the entrance of the market. (PNA)