News Release
March 11, 2008
Reference: Danilo “Ka Daning” Ramos, secretary general, KMP
 
“Rice scam probe should be done by independent body not Sec. Yap!”-KMP
 
            The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) lambasted Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for once again trying to cover up a scam that has been exposed this time in the National Food Authority (NFA).
 
            According to Danilo “Ka Daning” Ramos, secretary general of KMP, “if Gloria is really serious in finding the truth about the rice scam that is happening in the NFA, then she should not have assigned Department of Agriculture (DA) Sec. Arthur Yap to do the investigation because this scam can also be traced during his time as NFA administrator,”
 
            “In essence Gloria is just covering up one of the rackets of Malacanang when they appointed Sec. Yap in the NFA and the DA. We can expect nothing but white wash in this case. The investigating team should be independent and should be composed at least of farmers groups, the NFA employees union, some consumers and retailers and even the Church,” said Ramos.
 
            “As we found out this practice of diverting NFA rice to commercial sales has been happening for a long time and has already been exposed by the National Food Authority Employees Association. The racket was a systematic means to strengthen Malacanang’s influence to its favorite rice traders and to expand it to others. They use so-called poverty mitigating projects like the KALAHI program or the Tindahan ni Gloria as a cover for this scheme,” added the peasant leader.
 
            “It is DA Se. Yap that assigns the rice quotas in regions, so he himself should be held accountable why so much rice is being diverted. This simple fact alone should have him included into an investigation of the scam and disqualifies him as its primary investigator. Farmers and consumers are already neck deep in poverty, the greedy Macapagal-Arroyo regime even has the temerity to take rice for the poor from their mouths,” ended Ramos. # # #