THE GOVERNMENT will be aiming to increase the buffer stock of rice in government warehouses to address the increase in the basic commodity’s market prices, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. revealed during his speech in Zamboanga City on Tuesday.
“We will fill the warehouses with rice, we will add more buffer stock so that we will avoid price increase,” Mr. Marcos said in Filipino as he led the distribution of about 1,500 sacks of smuggled rice to poor families in the southern city.
The rice distributed was part of 42,180 sacks of smuggled rice worth P42 million, which were confiscated by authorities during a warehouse raid in Zamboanga City last Sept. 15.
The President said the government followed due process in confiscating the smuggled items by giving the respondents a 15-day notice to hear their side.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive said the government plans to address overfishing by imposing a fishing ban and other restrictions in certain areas, particularly those intended for fish breeding and propagation.
The measures are part of the government’s plans to ensure food security, he told reporters. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza
