The National Food Authority (NFA) has already released a total of 7,592 bags of rice as of June 5, 2017 to various relief-giving agencies and organizations for distribution to the victims of the crisis in Marawi City.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Region 12 has withdrawn 600 bags from NFA Misamis Oriental; 3,600 bags from NFA Maguindanao; and 1,867 bags from NFA Gen. Santos City.
The Office of Vice President Leni Robredo withdrew 500 bags from NFA Cagayan de Oro city and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) of Cotabato withdrew 300 bags from NFA Iligan. The local government unit (LGU) of Iligan also withdrew 725 bags from the local NFA office.
NFA administrator Jason Laureano Y. Aquino, who recently visited Marawi and other NFA offices in Mindanao, said the NFA office in Marawi remains closed. Its employees are currently holding office in NFA Iligan.
The agency has set up an operations center in NFA Iligan to closely monitor the situation in Marawi. It also coordinates with other NFA offices in Mindanao for the release and distribution of rice to relief agencies and LGUs.
On May 25, Maute members ransacked the NFA warehouse in Marawi and ran away with some 100 bags of rice. The NFA office and facilities in the area are now under military security.
NFA market monitoring in the whole of Mindanao show that rice prices remain stable and even went down from P1/kg to P2/kg in some areas.
