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DESPITE infrastructure and warehouse damages caused by recent typhoons, the country’s buffer rice stock remains sufficient to feed Filipinos for 12 days, the National Food Authority (NFA) said.

NFA Administrator Larry Del Rosario Lacson said on Tuesday that the agency currently has 446,000 metric tons or about 8.9 million bags of milled rice, enough to last for nearly two weeks.

“Right now, our buffer stock stands at almost 12 days nationwide. It can feed all Filipinos for 12 days,” Lacson said in a press briefing.

According to Lacson, recent storms caused minor damage to some NFA facilities, such as leaks and flooding, but did not result in major losses and rice stocks remained unaffected.

He added that the NFA is currently assessing the volume of rice that got wet during the storms, noting that some may still be dried and recovered. Initial reports point to only a few hundred bags being affected, the agency administrator said.

“There is nothing that needs rehabilitation. These are just minor repairs, just some leaks…The recent storm did not cause any damage to our stocks.”

P20 rice in Masbate

Lacson said the NFA started releasing P20-per-kilo rice on Tuesday in Masbate, one of the provinces hardest hit by the recent storms.

“We also carried out an immediate dispersal in Masbate, which was severely hit by the typhoon. As of now, I think they still don’t have electricity. We are even looking for a generator there so we can run our rice mill and continue providing rice in the area,” he added.

Under the agency’s directive to speed up augmentation, he said trucks were immediately deployed to the affected area, adding that additional supplies from other regions are also being considered.

Lacson explained that the government has been expanding the rollout of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s P20-per-kilo rice nationwide, but because Masbate was severely affected by the calamity, it was prioritized for distribution through Kadiwa outlets.

More than 3,000 bags of rice have so far been distributed in the province, while dispersals were also conducted in Regions 8 and 4, said Lacson.

This came as the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) gave out relief aid to families and communities in provinces, including Masbate, hit by the recent major weather disturbances due to typhoon “Opong.”

The DSWD said on Tuesday that it has so far distributed more than 309,000 family food packs (FFPs) to households affected by recent typhoons. The largest share of assistance went to the Bicol Region with over 82,000 packs, followed by Western Visayas with 52,000 and the Ilocos Region with nearly 44,000.

According to Lacson, the P20 per kilo of rice in Masbate ensures that residents have an accessible food source once relief supplies and FFPs are depleted. He noted that power restoration in the province may take time, making DSWD food packs insufficient to meet daily consumption needs.

Lacson added that other provinces severely hit by typhoons would also automatically be given priority for the P20-per-kilo rice rollout.

“Right now, we haven’t met yet with the DA and the Kadiwa team. But definitely, when it comes to the priority session, that will suddenly move up. As long as an area is hit by a typhoon, it will move up in priority. That’s for sure,” he said. 

Source : businessmirror