Comelec Advises Agriculture Department to Wait Until After Elections
AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT – The DA temporarily halts the P20 per kilo rice sale as per the advice of the Commission on Elections.
In the late of April, the DA announced that affordable NFA rice will be sold at P20 per kilo in Visayas. The said announcement did not sit well with Vice Pres. Sara Duterte who previously called on the Filipinos to demand the government to fulfill the P20 per kilo campaign promise.
Vice Pres. Duterte questioned the intention of the people behind the rice sale citing that it is only available in Visayas while the people in Luzon and Mindanao also need it. The Vice President claimed that it is allegedly another way of the government to fool the people.
Furthermore, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte claimed that there might be a problem with the votes in Visayas, thus, they turn to the rice sale. She also expressed her hope that the rice that will be sold at a cheap price will be fit for human consumption.
The Agriculture Department was “deeply hurt” by the statement of Vice Pres. Duterte over the rice quality. DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. stressed that their department remains committed to providing quality and safe rice to the Filipino people.
DA also held a media conference where they cooked and ate the NFA rice that will be sold at P20 per kilo as they vouch for its quality and safety. However, amid the Elections season, the Commission on Elections or Comelec advised the Department of Agriculture to delay the sale of the P20 per kilo rice.
Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, the Agriculture Department abides the advice of the Comelec and decided to temporarily halt the P20 per kilo rice sale. DA Sec. Francisco Laurel Jr. assured that the program will immediately resume after the polls.
“May 13, ‘yung target natin, Central, Eastern and Western Visayas kasama na rin ‘yung NIR (Negros). Isasama na rin ‘yung Kadiwa centers sa Metro Manila at ‘yung mga areas na nagparticipate during food security emergency declaration, gaya ng sa Bicol, Camarines Sur, Bulacan at iba pang lugar,” Laurel said.
Based on the report, the Agriculture Secretary revealed that 2,500 senior citizens, indigents, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and beneficiaries of the government conditional cash transfer program. They purchased 500 bags of the P20 per kilo NFA rice.
The Comelec made the advise saying that it will avoid accusations that politics is involved in the rice sale. Previously, Malacañang insisted that there is no politics in the P20 per kilo rice sale.