Pangilinan warns traders on re-bagging NFA rice

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — “Don’t test us,” said Secretary Francis Pangilinan, Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization, as he warned unscrupulous rice traders to face the full force of the law.

Pangilinan was in Iloilo a day after members of the National Bureau of Investigation–Region 6 raided a private warehouse in Leganes, Iloilo and confiscated 1,047 sacks of “repacked” rice from the National Food Authority.

“I hope this would serve as warning to those rice traders na ‘pag kayo ay nahuli, we will confiscate your rice and you will lose your license. Sa mga nagbabalak pa lang, mag-isip-isip muna kayo,” he warned.

Pangilinan vowed that he will do everything to penalize persons who are doing the illegal practice of diverting, re-bagging, and selling NFA rice at a higher price.

Several warehouses all over the country, reporetdly into rice hoarding and NFA rice re-bagging, are now being monitored, he said.

Recently, the NFA inspected 19 warehouses in Luzon, four of which were found to have violations. Another warehouse was also raided in Agusan del Sur.

Pangilinan also ordered yesterday the filing of cases against Dennis Devicente, the warehouse owner in Iloilo, and the 12 workers who were caught transferring NFA rice into commercial sacks. They will be charged for violation of Presidential Decree No. 4 or Diversion and Illegal Distribution of NFA rice and Republic Act 7581 (Price Act).

Devicente owns Rescha Marketing that has an NFA license for warehousing, transporting, retailing and wholesaling of rice.

Pangilinan’s warning was not limited to unscrupulous rice traders alone. The NFA managers were also made to explain why the NFA rice ended in a warehouse in Iloilo. “They will be made to explain why it happened,” Pangilinan said.

According to the NBI-6 personnel, they got a lead to raid Devicente’s warehouse after they saw three trucks coming out from the NFA warehouse in Jaro district in Iloilo City around 4:30 p.m. of July 30. Several hours after, the NBI-6 conducted the raid.

It was then found out that a big truck also delivered to Devicente’s warehouse, sacks of NFA rice from an NFA warehouse in Barangay Laua-an of Roxas City, Capiz. (FREEMAN)