Amid the Criticisms, Agriculture Officials Assure Filipinos that NFA Rice is Quality Rice
AGRICULTURE – Several officials of DA ate the P20 per kilo NFA rice to guarantee the Filipino people of its quality.
The previous announcement of the Department of Agriculture that rice will be sold at P20 per kilo in Visayas were met with different reactions. Undeniably, it brought hope to many Filipinos who are on a tight budget and are usually challenged to put food in the table.
However, the announcement of DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. also earned criticisms. Vice President Sara Duterte expressed her doubt on the intention behind the P20 per kilo rice sale in Visayas. According to her, the people behind it might have a problem with the votes from the region.
Vice Pres. Duterte also asked why the affordable rice is only available in Visayas while the people in Luzon and Mindanao also need it. She claimed that it could be related with the upcoming elections as a meeting of the governors was allegedly held at a capitol in Cebu.
The remarks of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte was followed by a statement from Malacañang which called on her not to be a termite in the society. The Palace stressed that the affordable rice program has long been an aspiration of Pres. Bongbong Marcos.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte claimed that the fulfillment of Pres. Bongbong Marcos is ‘too late’. She also questioned the quality of rice that will be sold at P20 per kilo. According to her, it should be fit for human consumption as the rice that is usually sold at P20 per kilo are for animals.
The Department of Agriculture was “deeply hurt” by Vice Pres. Sara Duterte’s remarks on the P20 per kilo rice sale in Visayas. According to Agriculture Sec. Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., they can vouch for the quality of the NFA rice as they also cook and eat this variety of rice inside the department office every day.
Recently, the Agriculture officials proved to the Filipino further that the NFA rice is quality rice. Based on a post of ABS-CBN News on Facebook, the DA officials ate the P20 per kilo NFA rice to guarantee the Filipinos that it is quality rice.
Aside from previously calling on Vice Pres. Sara Duterte to avoid crab mentality over the realization of the aspiration of Pres. Bongbong Marcos, Malacañang also recently reiterated that there’s no politics in the P20 per kilo rice sale in Visayas.