Duterte believes NFA administrator more than Council

April 6, 2018

President Rodrigo Duterte admitted that he trusts National Food Authority (NFA) Administrator Jason Aquino on the rice importation issue.

In a speech during a dinner concert Thursday in Pasay City, Duterte said it was he who told Aquino to ignore the NFA Council.

"(I) talked with Jason Aquino. Actually there was already indication of a shortage. I placed Aquino there because I trust him and he whispered to me, 'Sir, there's...' it's not really an actual shortag'e. But when you start to see something which is also true, it cannot be rumor mongering because what is at stake is the stomach of the people," he said.

"I told him, 'ignore the Rice Council which is mandated by law, go ahead and make the importations'," he said.

Duterte said he did not want people to be worried because of rice shortage.

Aquino and Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr. had opposing stance on the need to import rice.

Evasco, who chairs the NFA Council, doubted earlier the NFA buffer stock had been depleted and there was no need yet to import 250,000 metric tons of rice contrary to Aquino's position.

But later, upon Duterte's order, Evasco allowed the rice importation.

Duterte has expressed intention to task Agriculture Undersecretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat to oversee the importation of rice and place the NFA Council directly under his office. Celerina Monte/DMS