Mandaue holds 397 sacks of rice from P20 program since 2023

Kimberly Capuyan

At least 397 sacks of rice for the Sugbo Merkado Barato (SMB) program by the Cebu Provincial Government have been left unsold in Mandaue City since 2023.

The sacks were stored at the National Food Authority (NFA) warehouse in Barangay Tawason since the SMB Php 20 rice program was implemented by then-governor Gwendolyn Garcia on November 28, 2023.

Mandaue City began implementing the program with 1,076 allocated sacks on January 16, 2024, but only 700 have been sold to date.

The SMB program was temporarily suspended ahead of the May 12 national and local elections.

“We were forced to stop selling the rice due to the election ban,” said Stella Alocillo, supervisor of the City Social Welfare Services (CSWS) Relief Goods Division.

“However, the program was never resumed afterward because the rice had already changed in appearance, and it looked unconsumable. The stocks remained in storage,” she added.

Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo Jovito “Jonkie” Ouano has directed the City Health and Agriculture Offices to check the safety of the remaining rice sacks for human consumption.

According to The Freeman, City Administrator Atty. Gonzalo Malig-on said he signed a memorandum last week mandating both offices to inspect the rice following the CSWS’ request.

“Ang point ni mayor, sayang ang resources ba,” Malig-on said.

(The mayor’s point is that it would be a waste of resources.)

Malig-on assured that the City Legal Office would study possible next steps since the guidelines were set by the Capitol, and Mandaue City simply followed them.

According to Alocillo, if the remaining rice stocks are still safe for consumption, they may be distributed to qualified indigent residents.

“We’ve submitted our official request for inspection, and we’re now waiting for their findings. Once we receive clearance, we’ll proceed accordingly, either by distributing the rice to qualified indigents or disposing of it properly if found unfit for consumption,” Alocillo said.

Meanwhile, Assistant Provincial Administrator Aldwin Empaces said they will look into SMB’s implementation in Mandaue and check whether all intended beneficiaries were covered.

“Balikan sad namo ang Mandaue City kay basin naay beneficiary nga wala pa kadawat. So unahon lang sa ‘tong dapat makadawat jod,” Empaces said.

(We’ll go back to Mandaue City in case there are beneficiaries who haven’t received it yet. So we’ll prioritize those who should receive it.)

Mandaue City government affirmed its commitment to resolving the issue and said it will base its decision to distribute or dispose of it on the results of the health and safety assessments.