Ni NOEL ABUEL
“We should urgently pass the Anti Agricultural Economic Sabotage Law to control the middlemen and traders from causing hardship to the farmers and the consumers.”
Ito sinabi ni Senador Cynthia Villar sa pagsasabing dahil sa kabiguan ng National Food Authority (NFA) ay hindi nakikinabang ang mga magsasaka.
“The NFA has not proven itself to be taking care of the welfare of the rice farmers and the consumers,” aniya.
Ipinasa ng Senado ang Senate Bill No. 2432 o ang Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act, noong Disyembre 2023, at sinertipikahan bilang urgent ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. noong Marso 20, 2024, at sumailalim sa pre-bicam conference ng dalawang Kongreso.
Nakasaad sa bersyon ng Senado na magkakaroon ng mabigat na parusa sa mga sangkot sa smuggling, hoarding, profiteering, at cartel ng mga produktong pang-agrikultura at pangisdaan bilang hakbang sa pangangalaga sa sarili laban sa manipulative scheme ng economic saboteurs, protektahan ang kabuhayan ng mga magsasaka, at leakage sa koleksyon ng pagbubuwis at duty collection.
Pinoprotektahan din ng panukalang batas ang Estado mula sa mga tax evaders at hindi nagbabayad ng buwis at tinitiyak ang kagalingan ng mga agricultural producers at kapakanan ng mga mamimili, at ang ekonomiya sa kabuuan.
“I remember I together with other Senators were buying rice from the NFA to give to calamity victims in Mindanao and we were told that they have no stock only to find out that they sold the rice stocks to traders,” sabi ng senador.
“The National Food Authority (NFA) plays a vital role in ensuring food security and stability in the country by managing the supply and distribution of rice. It should focus on the acquisition, maintenance, and distribution of rice for buffer stocking sourced from local farmers and for calamity assistance. NFA has a yearly budget of P9 billion to do their local procurement,” paliwanag pa ni Villar.
Kamakailan ay naiulat na may iregular na bentahan ng NFA Stocks sa ilang piling commercial traders kabilang ang G4 Rice Mill Corp., at NBK San Pedro Ricemill na hindi idinaan sa bidding.
Nabili ang palay sa halagang P23.00 kada kilo at ibinenta bilang milled rice sa halagang P25.00 kada kilo.
“The government was said to have incurred a Php 12,500,000.00 loss because of this.
On March 4, 2024, 139 NFA officials have been suspended pursuant to an Order issued by the Office of the Ombudsman,” ani Villar.
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