By Mortz C. Ortigoza
Do you know that a poor Filipino
nuclear family of seven, yes seven because the poor here ironically breed like
rabbit, as based on my conversation with some destitutes, contend themselves with a
kilo of rice that they mixed with patis (salted fish sauce) or bagoong (anchovies), HesusMariaHusef, to survive the daily grind?
Because of abject poverty many of them forget what viand is all about.
Their grown up children could not even spell V-I-A-N-D because malnutrition sapped out their intellectual ability.
ILLEGAL - An operative of the National Bureau of Investigation inspects
three hundred sacks of rice in a warehouse in General Santos City where the
staples from the National Food Authority intended for the poor were illegally
transferred to another bags of a trader so he can sell them at a higher price.
When then presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte stumped the provinces
and cities, the great unwashed saw the light of hope at the other end
of the tunnel when the firebrand candidate promised a P15 kilos of rice to the
poor (manilatimes.net June 17, 2016).
When Duterte failed to make true his promise, the poor put their trust
on the P27 a kilo of the staple courtesy of stocks from the government run
National Food Authority.
But that price is still a pipe dream son of a gun!
Despite the bumper harvest from the farmers and the available funds from the National Food Authority to buy a kilo of palay at P17, the P27 a kilo of rice in the market is still elusive, thanks but no thanks to the miscreants at the NFA who conspired with the wheeler dealing traders by mixing the cheap staple and sell it from P37 to P45 a kilo.
Despite the bumper harvest from the farmers and the available funds from the National Food Authority to buy a kilo of palay at P17, the P27 a kilo of rice in the market is still elusive, thanks but no thanks to the miscreants at the NFA who conspired with the wheeler dealing traders by mixing the cheap staple and sell it from P37 to P45 a kilo.
The impoverished who trembled with
starvation at corner could not comprehend what hit them.
What they know, the prices of bagoong and patis are unscathed by the manipulation. But they could not eat alone one of these condiments.***
Recently, I saw on a prime time television news members of the National Bureau of Investigation seizing three hundreds bags full of NFA rice being repacked to commercial sacks at a warehouse in General Santos City, this incident collaborated my suspicion about a conspiracy to make a fast buck between NFA officials and traders.
When I posted at Face Book my fury of this shenanigan, some
friends messages me on my inbox and provided me with information.
One of my
sources told me that rice traders in Pangasinan bought a 25 kilogram of the
staple in a sack for P750 in an NFA warehouse. A trader sells the same bag with
rice at P900 to P950.
So I
mentally computed that if the NFA bought that kilo of rice at P17 from the farmer
and sell it for P22 so the government coffer recoup its expenses and earn a
little, what easy bucks for these corrupt officials selling it at P30 and
pocketing P8 a kilo. And we are not talking here about 100 kilos, we are
talking here about countless metric tons of kilos, Holy Casserole and Guacamole, being
covertly sold all over the country that saw many NFA brass and conspiring
traders, who sold a kilo between P37 to 45, filthy rich at the expense of the
poor.
Where are
your conscience greedy evildoers?
If Duterte crowed recently in Tarlac City that two “narcotics coddling” mayors have been murdered and he waits for the return of Iloilo City Mayor Jeb
Mabilog so he can order him killed too, why not the president orders the
killing through a liquidation squad of some of these NFA officials whose repugnant offenses are at par with the illegal drug peddlers.
Depriving the poor with cheap staple means, these avaricious public
officials and merchants gradually kill them, too just like the narcos who
gradually murder the junkies.
I'm calling mga ka-DDS Tatay Digong, send your dogs of war to hunt these scoundrels.
***
I asked DWIC-FM fiery radio commentator Allan Sison what happened
between him and Land Transportation Office – Lingayen District Office Engineer Eric C. Suriben after I heard from some media pals their altercations
at the office of the latter.
Allan told me that his sister who got married wanted to renew her LTO’s
license with her new surname. When she transacted at the Land Transportation’s
office at the Capital Town around 10 Am, she told the personnel there that she
was the sister of Allan.
The LTO guy probably informed Suriben.
Allan said he had been lambasting Suribien for the last two years
because of some women being brought at the office during wee hours.
Around 9 pm of that day, the sister frantically called him, according
to Allan, asking for help as she was inside the office of Suriben.
Allan asked for police assistance and joined them. The confrontation
between the duos ended at the police station where both filed blotter complaint against each other.
Allan said a case between him
and the sister versus the LTO – Lingayen chief is in the offing.
As a spectator on these squabbles, I saw there was either gross negligence or grave
abuse of authority on the part of Suriben.
Why, held for hours that reached dusk the applicant for a renewal of license card that Allan said could take for ten minutes.
Why, held for hours that reached dusk the applicant for a renewal of license card that Allan said could take for ten minutes.
Was Suriben wanted to take even
with the sister through procrastination because the brother had been attacking
him in his radio program?
(You can read my selected
columns at mortzortigoza.blogspot.com and
articles at Pangasinan News Aro. You can send comments too at
totomortz@yahoo.com)
Cotabato Province Sultan Armand M. Ayonan: Tama ka mortz para d na pamarisan ang mga taon ito na nagsasamantala sa mahihirap na tulad natin. We want sampld pls.
ReplyDeleteHazel Carumba (London) : Kung may magkanta sa mga rapacious people, pwede dira na mag umpisa ang kalipay sang mga funeral owners