An initial 5,000 sacks of rice will be released by the National Food Authority (NFA) to the Cebu Provincial Government in aid of the Capitol’s rice-centric programs.
This was what NFA Acting Administrator Larry Del Rosario Lacson told Gov. Gwen Garcia during his courtesy visit at the Cebu Provincial Capitol on Tuesday, April 30.
During the visit, the officials discussed the various programs of the Capitol that require rice supplies from NFA. Foremost among these are Sugbong Merkadong Barato where NFA rice is available to Cebuano indigent beneficiaries at P20 per kilo; Sugbo School Feeding Program which benefits all public school students of DepEd in Cebu Province; and Bugasan sa Kababayen-an sa Barangay which sells rice at P27 per kilo through the women’s groups in the barangays.
Lacson lauds Gov. Gwen’s efforts to bring affordable rice to the Cebuanos through the NFA, but apologized for the constraint since they are also low on supply as of the moment.
He said the NFA will prioritize supplying rice for the Sugbo School Feeding Program, which feeds over 878,000 students of DepEd from Kindergarten to Grade 12 all over Cebu.
“We promise to look for ways to support the feeding program,” Lacson said in an interview with 𝐒𝐮𝐠𝐛𝐨𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬.
Governor Gwen expressed her hope that Lacson will effectively fulfill his role as Acting Administrator of NFA, and not follow in the footsteps of suspended NFA Administrator Roderico Bioco who failed to provide rice supplies to the Province of Cebu, to the detriment of Capitol programs and initiatives that depend on NFA for support.
The meeting between Governor Gwen and Acting Administrator Lacson signifies a collaborative effort to ensure the successful implementation of programs that aim to benefit the people of Cebu.
The NFA’s commitment to provide rice for essential Capitol programs reflects a shared goal of promoting the welfare and development of the Cebuano masses. | JT