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Congress probe on Vietnam rice import urged

THE Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Tuesday urged lawmakers to investigate the alleged overpricing of imported rice from Vietnam despite denials made by top agriculture officials.

Pamalakaya national chairman Fernando Hicap said lawmakers should get into the bottom of the issue in the name of national interest and for the sake of the taxpaying public.

“Facts and figures cannot be denied by statements of outright denials. We strongly appeal to members of both chambers of Congress to get at the bottom of the issue,” Hicap said.

The imported rice acquired from Vietnam last December at an average of $456 to $459 at that time only costs $380 today, he said.

Department of Agriculture (DA) Undersecretary Bernie Fondevilla said based on December rates, the Philippine government obtained a good deal at the time because the actual import price agreed upon by Manila and Hanoi was $549.50 per ton.  The price included add-on costs like freight, bid and performance bonds, surveyor’s fees and the cost of money arising from the Philippine government’s paying of imports not in cash but on a deferred credit basis for six months.

National Food Authority (NFA) Administrator Jesus Navarro insisted that the transaction saved the Philippine government some $7.54 million based on the prevailing February prices of the grain as posted by the Board of Trade of Thailand.  He said the rice imported from Vietnam was acquired at an average of $549.50 per ton, while the February price of rice imports soared to $656.15 per ton.

“The NFA administrator is either bad in math or just playing fool here. The prevailing price of rice imports at the time the country acquired rice from Vietnam was pegged at $380 per ton and this was in December of 2008. The point of reference of Navarro was February when the average price of rice imports shot up to $656.15 per ton,” Hicap said.

The Pamalakaya leader accused the NFA administrator of engaging in all-out manipulation to justify “the possible acts of corruption performed by top government officials,” Hicap said.

Agriculture officials also said the rice-import transaction with Vietnam was approved by the Private Sector Procurement Transparency Group headed by lawyer Paterno Menzon representing the Bishops-Businessmen’s Conference.

“Facts and figures cannot be denied by statements of outright denials. We strongly appeal to members of both chambers of Congress to get at the bottom of the issue and let the truth come out in the name of national interest and for the sake of the taxpaying public,” Hicap said.

“These officials can lie to high heavens to protect the sinister agenda of the corrupt regime, but they cannot escape from the call of accountability. A full-blown inquiry is a must and we cannot afford to let this case of big-ticket corruption to go like an ordinary thing of the past,” Hicap added.

Written by Jonathan L. Mayuga

Source: Business Mirror