DTI7: Gov’t to Investigate “Rice Mixing”; Prices of Prime Commodities

The government is forming an inter-agency committee to look after the reported mixing of government rice with commercial rice, Zaida Bation, chief of consumers’ welfare and business regulations division of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) 7 said on Thursday.

Bation added that he committee will also investigate the controversial price increase of rice commodity.

According to Bation, the DTI is also conducting a price monitoring on food and non-food items to evaluate whether there is a silent price increase of these commodities in the market.

Prices of sardines, fabric soaps (powder and bar),coffee, and other items considered as prime commodities at home are being observed now by the DTI surveying team, she said.

The inter-agency committee, which serves as price watchdog, comprises the National Food Authority (NFA), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Philippine National Police (PNP) and DTI.

The committee, Bation said, is now “strictly” monitoring the on-going issues over the alleged adulteration of NFA rice.

“So far the team is conducting its own investigation to all rice traders in the region to get some proofs that NFA rice is being mixed with commercial rice and artificially bloated its prices,” Bation said.

She added that earlier reports that thousands of NFA rice bags were taken from the NFA warehouses in Luzon and brought to the private warehouses owned by a rice trader in Manila, has prompted the creation of the committee.

“This is the reason why an inter-agency committee here was formed to help the government on tracking down all unscrupulous businessmen engaging an economic sabotage.” she said.

Bation said that as of now,they can not directly say that there exist a price manipulation on the rice commodity here, but she said they are still evaluating all reports coming from their price monitoring groups.