By MIKE ORTEGA LIGALIG

The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) has forged an agreement with the National Food Authority (NFA) in conducting a provincewide investigation into the nationally reported rice hoarding and rice mixing, which has been blamed on the so-called artificial shortage of the country's most popular food staple. Investigating agents from the CIDG, NFA and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) have started inspecting major rice millers and warehouses in Bohol to verify whether such places had traces of violation to NFA's memorandum order. he massive rice inspection in Bohol came in the wake of shocking discovery of illegal mixing of NFA rice with commercial rice in huge warehouses in Luzon and National Capital Region (NCR). Selected members of Bohol media have also been tapped to conduct their own probe, which is fair and independent.

First of Bohol media's probe destination was the gargantuan Alturas Group of Companies-owned rice milling facility in Barangay Lumangog, Ubay. During an extensive, random inspection on the sprawling facility of Marcela Rice and Feed Mill complex, which is equipped by a combined world-class technology from Japan and Netherlands, Boholano journalists (including this writer) have found that the province's top rice miller and supplier is not guilty of any wrongdoing similar to what is happening in NCR and Luzon regions. Edgar Bono, Marcela mill complex's officer in charge, in an interview revealed that not a single grain of NFA-labeled rice has ever been mixed with the company's top-grossing rice brands, including Panda, Camia, and Washington, a fact confirmed by the inspecting Boholano journalists.

“We bought all the rice we milled here from our farmers in Bohol,” Bono said, adding that during low harvest season, the company has to buy rice from Mindoro and Iloilo to avoid rice shortage in Bohol. During times of expected and unexpected shortage, NFA rice would be tapped to fill in the void. The Alturas Group of Companies who owns Island City Mall (ICM), Alturas Mall, Alturas Supermarket, Plaza Marcela and Colonnade in Cebu is supplying 70 percent of the total rice consumption in Bohol. “We work 24/7 in our rice milling facility,” Bono said. “Our main customers are all Boholanos living in Bohol. We do not sell rice in any other places, except in Colonnade in Cebu City.” At the current production, the mammoth rice mill in Ubay could churn out at least 2,500 sacks of milled rice ready to be stored in a warehouse in Ubay and in Dampas District, Tagbilaran City.

In a month during normal operations, the Marcela's mill facility could produce at least 80,000 bags of rice. Such huge volume of rice production is enough to supply the province's 1.3 million population, backed by the other suppliers who share 30 percent of the lucrative rice market in Bohol. In an exclusive interview at his corporate office at ICM, AGC's president and chief executive officer, Marlito Uy, told journalists that the company has been abiding with rules and guidelines set by the NFA and other government agencies. Stressing that rice production and distribution by the Alturas group is following honest-to-goodness ethical standards, Uy said they always ensure to protect the welfare of the Boholano consumers. “Kining rice hoarding ug rice mixing, kasagaran kaniadto lang ni mahitabo sa NCR ug Luzon,” Uy said during the interview. “Segurado ta nga wala ni mahitabo sa ato sa Bohol.”

Uy also assured that there is enough supply of rice for Bohol, noting that shortage is unlikely to happen here since the company would also buy milled rice from Mindoro and Iloilo provinces to avoid sudden shortage, which could trigger escalation of rice market price. In a separate interview, Pilar Mayor Necitas Cubrado, who also owns a giant rice milling facility in her town, told Bohol Sunday Post that the composite team of CIDG, NFA and DTI had inspected her milling warehouse. “Walay nakita nga illegal ang inspection team,” Cubrado said. “Matarong ang tanan natong gibuhat,” she added, referring to her rice milling operation. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the country's provinces, the NFA “has linked with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the CIDG in making the rounds of warehouses as it intensifies campaign against rice hoarders.” National reports have said that “NFA and CIDG, which first forged agreement for the operation against rice hoarders and other violations of the NFA regulations such as rice diversion and price manipulation, have so far inspected some major warehouses (including in Bohol) but yielded negative any illegal operation.” (with a report from PNA)