Rice shortage genuine o artipisyal (‘Drama’ bubusisiin ni Evasco)

BUBUSISIIN ni Cabinet Secretary at National Food Authority (NFA) Council chairman Leoncio ‘Jun” Evasco kung drama lang ang nararanasang shortage ng NFA rice sa pamilihan sa nakalipas na dalawang linggo.

Sinabi ni Evasco sa phone patch interview kahapon, aalamin ng konseho kung drama lang ang NFA rice shortage upang aprobahan ang panukalang mag-angkat ng bigas.

Karaniwan aniyang nakatatanggap ng rekomendasyon ang interagency council mula sa food security cluster kung kailangan mag-import ng bigas.

“If there is a proposal to purchase rice from outside, we have to look into a recommendation from food security. They’re the ones tracking down if there is rice shortage now or next few weeks,” ani Evasco.

Sa kasalukuyan aniya, ang NFA Council na binubuo ng mga kinatawan mula sa National Economic and Development Authority, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Deparment of Finance, Land Bank of the Philippines, and Department of Trade and Industry, “did not receive any notice  from the food security that there is urgency to buy rice.”

“We will find out what really is true or this is just a drama to pressure the Council to purchase rice,” giit ni Evasco.

Binigyan diin ng Kalihim, masyadong sensitibo ang usapin at ayaw niyang isiwalat ito sa publiko.

Responsibilidad aniya ng konseho na bigyan proteksiyon ang pamahalaan sa mga mapagsamantalang pagbili ng bigas.

“We have a task to protect government from unscrupulous pruchases of rice,” dagdag niya. .

Napaulat na dalawang araw na lang ang stock ng NFA rice.

“I don’t want to say it’s true or not but I have to operate with actual operation. I have to check if that is true or not. We have to be very, very careful  in purchasing rice from outside also so as not to threaten production of our farmers,” dagdag niya.

Matatandaan, humirit ang NFA sa konseho na umangkat ng 250,000 metric tons ng bigas noong nakaraang taon na naging sanhi ng iringan nina Evasco at NFA administrator Jason Aquino.

ni ROSE NOVENARIO