SPECULATIONS rose and grim images flashed, across Central Luzon, a major producer of the Philippine main staple, as government men escorted traders ferrying truckloads of National Food Authority (NFA) rice to their outlets. Rolling stores, described as a “quick response” solution to the rice shortage, were also readied.

At the NFA warehouses, emergency workers were hired to repack Vietnam and Thailand rice into 1-kg and 2-kg packs until 12 midnight every day including Saturdays and Sundays since last week.

It is reminiscent of the Bigasang Bayan (Biba) shortly after World War II, and the rice crisis in the mid-1960s, as well as the crises in 1973 and 1995.

“The poor would even mix ground corn or peeled cassava with the rice they bought from Army trucks then to expand the volume and to economize,” recounted Rodrigo Custodio, 73, of General Llanera, Nueva Ecija.

Nicolas Crisostomo, NFA Central Luzon manager, said the agency sent personnel to monitor if the 1-kg pack government rice is properly distributed to deserving buyers. The NFA limited the sale to a maximum of three 1-kg packs per buyer.

Rice buyers said they would take advantage while stocks last even as the government assured public that there is enough rice in its warehouses.

Crisostomo placed the total combined rice inventory of the NFA in Central Luzon at 4.5 million bags that is enough for 67 days. He added that around 2.2 million bags of imported rice are due to arrive soon. So far, about 403,000 bags of Vietnam rice have already arrived at the Port of Subic in Zambales.

Most buyers, however, suspected that the P18.25-per-kilo rice retail cost would soon rise, prompting them to buy more than their current requirements.

“There is this wild idea that our watchers apply indelible ink on the buyer’s fingernail, like how it is done during elections, to prevent them from attempting to come back. But I disapproved that idea. That will have an impression of panic buying,” Crisostomo said.

Accredited retailers lined up at the NFA Nueva Ecija warehouses, where the bulk of government rice has been kept, for their weekly allocations of five bags. To make sure that the rice they got would go directly to their stores and not to unscrupulous traders, Crisostomo ordered the stocks escorted by NFA men.

Some NFA insiders suspected that some of their authorized retailers sell their allocations to big traders as part of the so-called “conversion,” which led to the disappearance of NFA rice in the market in the past two weeks.

NFA men escort rice trucks to outlets

SPECULATIONS rose and grim images flashed, across Central Luzon, a major producer of the Philippine main staple, as government men escorted traders ferrying truckloads of National Food Authority (NFA) rice to their outlets. Rolling stores, described as a “quick response” solution to the rice shortage, were also readied.

THE Philippines’ approach to inflation “is quite impressive.” This accolade is from the World Bank (WB), which said the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has done a good job at managing the economy, deftly avoiding cost-push inflation no matter an externally driven peso liquidity surge.

THE National Democratic Front (NDF) said on Tuesday that it is willing to resume the stalled peace talks with the government and is not backing off, as claimed by a spokesman for the administration.

HONG KONG (via PLDT)—The Philippine government will ask Hong Kong labor officials to consider the possible reversion of the minimum wage for Filipino domestic helpers there to prerecession levels, President Arroyo said on Tuesday.

NOT contented with his plan to file before the Vatican a formal complaint against Archbishop Oscar Cruz of Lingayen-Dagupan for conduct unbecoming, a legislator wants the bishop criminally prosecuted and asked the people he “demonized” to seek redress before the courts.

THE left-leaning fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Tuesday accused Japan of bribing the government through the P7.8-billion supplemental loan to finance the completion of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) in exchange of the ratification of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (Jpepa).

CLARK FREE PORT—Officials of the Clark International Airport Corp. (Ciac) said emergency preparedness at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (Dmia) will contribute to the growth and development of the airport here.

ZAMBOANGA CITY—A bus driver thwarted a grenade attack on his bus on Monday, the local police reported.