Amid the Issue, Department of Agriculture “Deeply Hurt” by VP Sara Duterte’s Remarks on NFA Rice
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE – The DA vouched for the quality and safety of the NFA rice following Vice President Sara Duterte’s remarks.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. recently made an announcement that NFA rice will be sold at P20 per kilo in Visayas. His announcement was met by different reactions including a criticism from Vice Pres. Sara Duterte who expressed doubts on the quality of the rice to be sold and the intention behind the program.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte claimed that the government is allegedly fooling the people again through the P20 per kilo rice in Visayas. According to her, it is doubtful why it is only available in Visayas and not in Luzon and Mindanao.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte also stressed that the rice that will be sold at P20 per kilo must be fit for human consumption. She claimed that most rice sold at P20 per kilo is usually the ones being given to pigs. The statement of the Vice President earned a reaction from the Department of Agriculture.
Agriculture Sec. Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. expressed that the DA is “deeply hurt” by the suggestion of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte that the NFA rice that will be sold must be for people and not for animals. Based on a post of News5 on social media, the DA Secretary reaffirmed their department’s commitment in delivering quality rice to the Filipinos.
“We are fully committed to delivering quality rice to our people. At the DA, we cook and eat NFA rice everyday. We can personally vouch for its quality and safety,” Tiu said.
Based on the post, the Department of Agriculture Secretary stressed that saying that the NFA rice is for animal feed “is an affront” to the quality of rice that the millions of Filipino farmers produce. He encouraged Vice Pres. Sara Duterte to set aside politics and unite in solving the problems of the Filipino people.
Malacañang previously called on Vice Pres. Sara Duterte to defy crab mentality on the issue of P20 per kilo rice in Visayas. Palace press officer Atty. Claire Castro stressed that Pres. Bongbong Marcos has long aspired for affordable rice for the Filipinos and it is now coming true. She called on the Filipinos to unite for the realization of the aspirations of the President for the people.