THE ZAMBOANGA City council on Monday declared the entire city under a state of calamity following more than two weeks of rice shortage and continued spiking of rice prices in the public market. With the declaration, the local government will now be able to use the allocated P15 million calamity fund to purchase additional rice for distribution at a lower price to the public. “We will be able to impose price ceiling on rice in the city considering the fact that there are certain sector are taking advantage on the rice shortage,” said Vice Mayor Cesar S. Iturralde, who chairs the council. The rice shortage in the city pushed the price of regular milled rice sold to as much as P80 per kilogram. As a response, the National Food Authority (NFA) Zamboanga Peninsula regional office has launched a program to bring supply directly to the different villages. Earlier this month, this city and its neighboring island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi experienced a sudden increase in commercial rice prices due to a strengthened campaign against smuggled rice, coupled by the delay of imports by the government and the off harvest season. — Albert F. Arcilla

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