Mayor meets Capiz millers, traders on rice problem

By Felipe V. Celino

ROXAS CITY, Capiz – Mayor Ronnie Dadivas on Tuesday met rice millers, traders, wholesalers, and retailers in Roxas City and Capiz to help him solve the problem of the city’s food security program.

Dadivas made the move as the “Bugas para sa taga Roxas” or free rice program for the poor was halted after the National Food Authority (NFA) stopped supplying rice.

The mayor met Arthur Young of Agro Tradex Rice Mill, Jona Delfin of LOM Marketing, Onisimo Gomez of Gomez Rice Mill and rice wholesalers and retailers of Teodoro Arcenas Trade Center (TATC).

Dadivas asked them if they could help sustain the rice supply for the program. He also opened an opportunity for the group to participate in the bidding of a confederation.

The city government originally sourced rice from the NFA for the “Bugas Para sa taga-Roxas Food Security Program”.

It started at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic for 32,000 affected families.

But last week, the city government was informed that the NFA would stop releasing rice for Roxas City and other local government units except for calamity response.

The last rice distribution was on Jan. 20.

In a press conference, Dadivas said this will be a big challenge to the city government.

But he resolved to continue the rice program, citing its importance to every family in crisis due to the recent flooding, inflation, red tide, and closed fishing season from November 2022 to March 2023.

“Indi ko gusto magkabalaka ang mga pumoluyo sang syudad sang Roxas. Gusto ko padayunon ini nga programa kay kabalo kami daku ini nga bulig ilabi na gid sa mga pigado naton nga mga utod sa aton syudad,” he said.

Upon consultations, one of the solutions eyed by the city government is to source rice from a private supplier through competitive bidding.