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Mayor Alfredo Lim of Manila yesterday warned rice retailers and
traders in the city, who threatened to launch a “rice holiday,”
that they will be stripped of their business licenses if they
continue to hoard National Food Authority (NFA) rice, and to stop
selling government stocks to poor families.
Muntilupa City Mayor Aldrin San Pedro also
warned rice traders in his locality not to engage in rice hoarding,
and that they can be charged for that and lose their licenses.
Lim issued the warning following a statement
made by BINHI, an association of rice retailers and distributors in
Metro Manila, that they will launch a “rice holiday”.
“The rice traders have a responsibility to
supply the needs of consumers, especially the poor families who buy
the NFA rice. Some rice traders have been deceiving the public by
selling NFA rice at a higher price,” the mayor noted.
The Manila City government, Lim said, will
cooperate with the NFA in the distribution of its rice in 17 public
markets, 48 health centers and six mini-city halls or satellite
offices in Manila.
NFA rice sells for only P18.25 per kilo, which
is almost half the price of commercial rice, which is sold between
P30 to P40 in markets depending on variety.
At Muntinlupa City, San Pedro said he instructed
officials of the city Business Permit and Licensing Office to
strictly monitor the flow of rice in the city.
While there is still no reported incident of
rice hoarding in the city, San Pedro said that monitoring is needed
to ensure the sufficient supply of rice in the city as well as to
discourage rice traders from hoarding.
-- Rommel C. Lontayao and Jayson Cruz Luna
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