Deputy Minority Leader and Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza called for the resignation of Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Pi帽ol, and the heads of the National Food Authority (NFA) and its Council, over the rice crisis in some parts of the country.
READ: Zamboanga City under state of calamity due to rice shortage
鈥淭he NFA, NFA Council, the secretary of agriculture, if you cannot handle the proper provision of food for the Filipino鈥� mag-resign kayong lahat,鈥� Atienza dared, referring to NFA administrator Jason Aquino and NFA Council Chair and Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Pi帽ol.
鈥淕ive other people some other chance to handle the problem. We cannot accept the theory that we have to import,鈥� Atienza said, adding that聽the greatest threat the country faces now is food shortage.
鈥淭he biggest threat to national security now is not the NPA (New People鈥檚 Army), Joma (Sison), not even the West Philippine Sea issue, today the threat is (the) acute food shortage,鈥� the lawmaker lamented.
According to Atienza,聽Pi帽ol, as the Secretary of the DA, should be 鈥渙n top of the issue鈥� on food security as the 鈥減roblem is going around above their heads.鈥�
Atienza further hit the NFA and its Council and floated the idea of abolishing it for playing the blame game. 鈥淧robably we should abolish it鈥� nagtuturuan lang sila,鈥� the lawmaker said.
Meanwhile, Minority Leader Danilo Suarez warned the agriculture agency to prepare for a possible deferment of their budget.
鈥淭his is an advanced warning because we鈥檒l be asking for a lot of deferment and we鈥檒l be demanding for a reorganization,鈥� he said.
In a meeting at the House of Representatives on Tuesday, NFA Deputy Administrator Tomas Escarez blamed the 鈥渂ureaucracy鈥� within the Council for the delay in the government initiative to import rice to address the country鈥檚 shortage.
However, Department of Trade and Industry Undersecretary Ruth Castelo, who is also part of the Council, said it was NFA鈥檚 late submission of its rice supply inventory that led to the delay in the procurement of imported rice.聽 聽/vvp
READ: NFA, council swap charges on rice crisis
NFA exec blames its council鈥檚 鈥榖ureaucracy鈥� in delay of rice importation