Food security

The developments surrounding the pork barrel scam instigated by Janet Lim Napoles have opened a can of worms, particularly in the Department of Agriculture. Owing to revelations by whistle-blower Benhur Luy, the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption has publicly urged the Senate Blue Ribbon committee to include Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala and Assistant Secretary Ophelia Agawin in its investigation into the controversial pork barrel fund scam. Both were former executives of National Agribusiness Corp. (Nabcor), a government-owned and -controlled corporation implicated in the multibillion-peso fund scam. Lawyer Ariel Jawid pointed curiously as to why the agriculture sector has remained resilient and resistant to change despite reforms in good governance being instituted by the current administration. The Secretary had earlier described as "classified” the DA’s list of accredited non-government organizations allowed to receive pork barrel funds for livelihood under the DA. Alcala’s list, as it turns out, is full of fake foundation–three of them affiliated with Napoles and an NGO reportedly put up by associates and kin from the Secretary’s home province who have also cornered juicy posts at the DA. Preparations are being made at the House of Representatives to investigate allegations of kickbacks involving officials of the National Food Authority and the Department of Agriculture over the rice importation of 205,700 metric tons from Vietnam last April which was apparently overpriced by at least P457 million. The DA is also earning flak because despite its claims of rice sufficiency within the year, the prices of rice have been progressively escalating together with other staples of Juan Dela Cruz’ table, like the galunggong or "GG”, the proverbial poor man’s fish. Both the DTI and Senator Loren Legarda have called on the DA and NFA to explain why rice prices have been on the rise, noting that the NFA has even declared that its inventory of rice stock this year is greater than in 2012.