A writ of preliminary injunction was slapped against the National Food Authority (NFA) by Quezon City court yesterday after several farmers’ cooperatives charged the agency for withholding documents that prevented the release of more than P20 million worth of imported rice.

Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 76 Judge Alexander Balut enjoined the NFA “from not releasing the Memorandum of Undertaking and such other documents and papers that are needed to process and facilitate the release of the cargoes for each plaintiff.”

Balut also ordered the NFA not to withhold the execution of the Memorandum of Undertaking and to do such other acts that will prevent the processing of the documents needed for the release of 1,075 metric tons or 21,500 sacks of rice that has remained in Port of Sasa, Davao City since July 20.

Earlier the Kabalikat Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Bubog Farmers Cooperative, Pinaod Central Multi-Purpose Cooperative and Samahang Bagong Anyo filed a complaint against NFA administrator Angelito Banayo, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala and NFA special bids and awards committee chairman Jose Cordero.
 
The farmers’ group claimed that the NFA refused to “execute and/or release the Memorandum of Undertaking and other related documents” that were needed for the processing of the release of the imported rice from Vietnam.
 
The NFA allegedly refused to execute the papers because of Instruction 23.5 of the Instruction to Bidders that required the shipping documents for the rice imports be submitted in July 15, at least five days before the expected arrival of the cargoes.