Tighter congressional watch on NFA operations pressed
MAKATI City Representative Luis Campos Jr. has called for tougher congressional oversight of the multibillion-peso Rice Buffer Stocking Program, following the Ombudsman’s preventive suspension of 193 high-ranking officials at the National Food Authority (NFA) in connection with an ongoing probe into the alleged detrimental sale of supplies to private traders.
“Congress must take strong action to safeguard the buffer stocking program, which is meant to keep an optimal level of rice reserves at all times for use during emergencies, while providing strong buying support to local farmers,” Campos said.
“We are counting on the Congressional Oversight Committee on Agricultural and Fisheries Modernization to conduct inquiries and draw up recommendations to promote greater transparency and accountability in the buffer stocking operations,” Campos added.
Congress earmarked P9 billion for the buffer stocking program in the 2024 national budget, in addition to the P9 billion allocated in 2023, according to Campos, vice chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriations.
Campos said Congress also set aside a separate P5 billion this year “for the construction, repair, and rehabilitation of NFA warehouses” to boost the buffer stocking program.
“We support the forceful measures taken by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., and Speaker Martin Romualdez to ensure that the buffer stocking program’s supplies are used responsibly,” Campos said.
The buffer stocking program maintains an inventory of rice that may be released in times of calamities, fortuitous events, or shortfall in production.
The program also sells rice to agencies such as the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, among others.
Under the law, all the rice for the buffer stocking program must be sourced from local farmers.
