Nearly 400 sacks of NFA rice are rotting inside a bodega in Mandaue Metropolis after they weren’t distributed in the course of the rollout for the P20 per kilo rice program of the provincial authorities. | Mary Rose Sagarino
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – The Mandaue Metropolis Authorities clarified that it didn’t use public funds for the distribution of over 1,000 sacks of NFA rice delivered via Cebu Provincial Authorities’s Sugbo Merkado Barato program, which sells rice at P20 per kilo to indigent residents.
The rice was a part of the province-led initiative, and the town’s position was restricted to facilitating gross sales and remitting proceeds, Assistant Metropolis Treasurer Julia Ballesteros stated.
Ballesteros stated the rice provide got here from the provincial authorities and was not bought utilizing the town’s funds. She defined that the town was solely tasked with promoting the rice to certified beneficiaries and returning the proceeds to the Capitol. She confirmed that gross sales revenues, similar to P48,000 and P36,000 from separate batches, had been turned over to the province.
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Town began rolling out this system on January 16, 2024, following the supply of 1,074 sacks of rice from the Capitol. The Sugbo Merkado Barato was initially launched by then-Governor Gwendolyn Garcia in November 2023.
As of August 2025, round 397 sacks stay unsold and are presently saved in a warehouse in Barangay Tawason in Mandaue. The distribution was quickly halted in the course of the Could 2025 elections because of the Fee on Elections (Comelec) ban on authorities assist.
NFA rice underneath this system was bought at P20 per kilo to pre-identified indigent residents.
Partial data from the Metropolis Treasurer’s Workplace present that deliveries included 500 kilograms value P23,000 on November 19, 2024; 800 kilograms valued at P36,800 on November 20; and 1,060 kilograms value P48,760 on December 15.
Ballesteros stated the Treasurer’s Workplace was not concerned within the procurement or pricing of the rice and couldn’t estimate the present worth or potential lack of the remaining inventory.
Metropolis Social Welfare Providers (CSWS) head Michael Pielago recognized a number of elements which contributed to the unsold rice.
He famous that solely these formally listed as beneficiaries or with SMB playing cards had been allowed to buy rice, which restricted entry. As well as, most of the meant recipients lived in far-flung or mountainous barangays, making it tough and impractical for them to journey to the town for simply two kilos of rice. Pielago additionally stated some beneficiaries had been discouraged from buying as a consequence of considerations over the poor high quality of the rice offered by the NFA.
Metropolis Agriculturist Sharon Mangadlao stated their workplace has already begun random sampling of the remaining rice to examine its high quality. The Division of Agriculture has additionally carried out laboratory evaluation.
Mayor Thadeo Jonkie Ouano has ordered a full inspection of the Mandaue Metropolis rice to find out whether or not it’s nonetheless secure for consumption.
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