QC approves rice on credit

MANILA, Philippines - The Quezon City council has authorized Mayor Herbert Bautista to procure rice on credit from the National Food Authority (NFA), for use in relief operations in calamity-stricken communities.

Bautista said the city government is mandated to provide relief services and assistance to residents affected by calamities, including food that can be immediately procured and made available.

“With the onset of the rainy season, the city government is looking for proper allocations of necessary commodities that will ensure relief and welfare operation during and after disasters,” Bautista said.

In a resolution authored by second district Councilor Ranulfo Ludovica, the city council allowed Bautista to enter into an agreement with the NFA for the purchase of rice.

With the passage of the resolution, Bautista and Lemuel Pagawayan of the NFA are expected to sign a memorandum of agreement for the rice procurement.

The lack of basic goods, particularly rice during relief operations in evacuation sites has always been a problem not only in Quezon City but also in the provinces.

During the onslaught of Tropical Storm Ondoy in September 2009, the city government fed for more than a week some 20,865 affected families sheltered in 60 evacuation centers in 32 barangays.