Thieves break into Alcoy public school, take 5 sacks of rice

The school administration of Nug-as Elementary School in Alcoy reported that it lost five bags of National Food Authority rice from its stockroom.

School property custodian Pedro Plando and school caretaker Marites Gonzales said the loss was discovered after an inventory of the stockroom items was conducted the other day.

School records showed it has a stock of 26 sacks of NFA rice, which were intended for distribution to Grade I pupils.

The distribution of rice started last April 4, and a total of 16 sacks were distributed. The remaining 10 sacks were then kept in the stockroom inside the campus.

Plando and Gonzales later discovered that the door of the stockroom was already opened and five sacks of rice were already missing.

Police investigators, SPO1 Premetivo Carungay and PO3 Dexter Basergo, found out that the lock of the door was an improvised one and made of wire only. This allowed the thief to cut through the "lock" easily and gain access to the kept stocks.

Plando recalled that he had suggested to education officials, after the school received the rice stocks, to keep the rice inside the police outpost for better security. The DepEd officials however refused but instructed the school custodians to put these in the campus instead, Plando claimed.

While investigation is still going on, the remaining five sacks of rice are now kept inside the barangay outpost. – Garry B. Lao/RAE