Synthetic rice might be locally produced; safety board action on fake food items sought

Senate finance committee chief Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero urged yesterday the Aquino administration to immediately convene the Food Safety Regulation Coordinating Board (FS-RCB) to combat the entry not only of “synthetic rice” but also of other unsafe or “dirty” food into the country.

The senator’s call for action came at the heels of reports that the synthetic rice that was believed to have been smuggled into the country might have been locally produced, according to the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

The BOC has been having a difficulty in pinpointing where the “synthetic rice” gained entry. Earlier reports showed that

the fake rice was smuggled from China and it came from a trader in Bansalan town, Davao del Sur.

Deputy Commissioner for Assessment and Operations Coordinating Group Agaton Uvero offered an explanation why they can’t track down the port it entered. He believes that the rice was just “small scale and locally produced” and it wasn’t smuggled.

“As a smuggler, why would you smuggle fake rice when you can make a lot more money when you smuggle real rice? The fake rice would be more costly to produce,” he said. Uvero explained that the importation of resin, which makes up fake rice, would cost 60 per kilo, including duties and taxes compared to imported rice for 20 a kilo.

Escudero also directed attention to the implementation of the Food Safety Law and the functions of the FSRCB. The issue has also stirred lawmakers to act quickly to find answers to questions regarding the entry of the fake rice.

Among the powers of the FSRCB is to manage food safety emergencies. Pursuant to the Food Safety Law’s requirement, the agency should put in place a “rapid alert system for the notification of any risk to human health caused by unsafe food.”

Palace assurance Meanwhile, Malacañang has assured that efforts are underway to clamp down at the possible dangerous synthetic commodity, and cautioned the public against fake rice that may be sold in the local market.

“We appeal to the public to be vigilant and buy rice from accredited and reliable dealers or stores authorized by the National Food Authority (NFA),” Presidential Communications Operations Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in Filipino over government radio.

Coloma said Aquino has already directed authorities to investigate the matter and ensure the protection of consumers. Aquino particularly asked Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas to determine the source of the fake or synthetic rice found in some public markets, Coloma added.

He said Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization Francis Pangilinan is also helping government efforts to address the problem of fake rice in the market.

Congressional probe

On the other hand, despite assurance from the BOC that the ports are tightly guarded, Agricultural Sector Alliance of the Philippines (AGAP) Partlyist Representative Nicanor Briones said he will seek an audience with Commissioner Alberto Lina to ask for an explanation on how the fake rice entered the country.

Briones said he will go to the BOC main office in Port Area, Manila on July 9 to formally start the investigation. Briones is the president of the 40 partylist groups in the House of Representatives.

“The lives of many Filipinos are at stake here. The government should not take this for granted,” he said.