LGUs need Comelec’s OK to sell NFA rice

George Erwin Garcia —NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said that local government units (LGUs) must first seek its permission before distributing or selling low-priced rice purchased from the National Food Authority (NFA).

In an interview with reporters on Tuesday, Comelec Chair George Erwin Garcia said the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the NFA no longer need the poll body’s approval to sell rice to LGUs as the sale is not considered a “social service,” which is covered by the ban on public fund spending within 45 days before Election Day.

But he clarified that LGUs must first secure from the Comelec a certificate of exemption if they decide to distribute the NFA rice for free or sell it at lower prices during the campaign period. This is because the sale or distribution of rice stocks will be regarded as a social service.

“We’re not against the distribution of low-priced rice to our countrymen. What’s important is that the distribution of cheap rice will not be abused or taken advantage of to promote one’s candidacy,” Garcia said.

He earlier approved the Feb. 19 recommendation of the Comelec’s law department to allow, subject to the issuance of an exemption, the free distribution or discounted sale of rice from the NFA and DA as assistance to vulnerable sectors or the community at large.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. declared last month a food security emergency amid the “extraordinary” rise in local rice prices despite lower global market costs and reduced tariffs on imported rice.

The declaration allowed the DA to direct the NFA, which is legally restricted from selling rice directly to the public, to release buffer stocks to government agencies and LGUs in a bid to drive down rice prices. INQ