Mandaue City agriculture and health officials advised Mayor Jonkie Ouano to halt the distribution of 397 sacks of rice from the Sugbo Merkadong Barato Program after these were found no longer safe for human consumption.
CEBU CITY, PHILIPPINES — The 397 sacks of rice under the Sugbo Merkadong Barato (SMB) program of former governor Gwendolyn Garcia that were left unsold in Mandaue City have been found unfit for human consumption.
Results of the inspection conducted by the Mandaue City Agriculture Office and the City Health Office revealed that the sacks of rice stored in a warehouse in Barangay Tawason are no longer safe to eat.
City Administrator Atty. Gonzalo Malig-on Jr. said the agriculture office, on August 6, and the health office, on August 7, reported to Mayor Thadeo Jovito “Jonkie” Ouano that they do not recommend the rice for consumption.
“The City Agriculture Office has declared the rice no longer safe for human consumption,” said Malig-on, though he added that further analysis will be conducted.
Samples will be sent to the Department of Agriculture Regional Office for testing. Still, local authorities already deem the rice unfit for distribution.
The health office particularly flagged sacks that were already opened and showed signs of pest infestation and contamination. The remaining unopened sacks will undergo further testing by a specialized agency.
Malig-on said Mayor Ouano has ordered that none of the rice should be sold or distributed.
“Sa level sa mayor, sa discussion, niingon siya nga dili which corresponds to the report,” said Malig-on.
He added that the city government does not want to risk human lives and is looking into proper disposal methods—possibly even returning the rice to the Provincial Government.
However, this plan is stalled by the lack of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the city and province.
“Wala pay available copy, way nakahibaw kinsay naay copy or naa ba gyud nay MOA,” said Malig-on.
The absence of a MOA complicates Mandaue’s ability to respond to its financial obligation. Records from the Cebu Provincial Treasurer’s Office show that the city has the highest unpaid balance among 51 LGUs, amounting to P1,077,000.
Malig-on said he contacted the provincial treasurer last Wednesday upon the mayor’s instruction. He has not disclosed the discussion’s details but confirmed ongoing communication.
“We will reconcile with the atong record diri,” he said.
“Kay ang position diri, sa initial nga nigawas consignment daw but sa Province nigawas naman ilang statement nga naa gyud tay bayranan,” he added.
He noted that Ouano will meet with the city treasurer to determine the best course of action, but said the absence of a MOA is the main issue.
“Was it consignment? Was it considered paid upon delivery? Wala pa ta ana. If we have that document then we can decide kung unsay best,” Malig-on said.
He also revealed that their efforts to secure the document from involved personnel have so far been unsuccessful.
Meanwhile, the city has sent an initial inquiry to the City Social Welfare and Services (CSWS) office to clarify how the SMB program was implemented.
“It happened in the previous administration man gud. We do not know who were involved,” said Malig-on.
“Wa sad ta kahibaw kung ang CSWS ra ba gyud ang na involved. Sa pagka karon maoy directly nato nga makit-an, nga ma pinpoint,” he added.
He also disputed CSWS’ claim that the rice was not distributed due to the election ban.
“I actually discussed it with the Mayor yesterday. Ang bugas 2023 man na deliver, ang ban sa election sa barangay is only 10 days somewhere October, after ana wala namay election ban,” said Malig-on.
He emphasized that 2024 was free of any election ban, giving CSWS ample time to sell the rice.
“They had one year to dispose,” he said.
Malig-on added that the mayor was disappointed with the mishandling of the program, especially as many residents are in need.
“Sayang man gud daghan ang nanginahanglan, okay ra unta to og months lang but it’s years. Grabe lang pod wa gyud nakahuna-huna ana og balik,” he said.
However, he acknowledged that the program’s mechanics, such as limiting beneficiaries to 2 kilos of rice per week, made distribution impractical. He also cited transportation costs as a deterrent for poor beneficiaries.
“Dili lang kay naay tag baynte okay na na, unya tag 2 kilos ra, impractical man sad na tinuod,” said Malig-on.
He emphasized the importance of properly studying future programs, especially when the national government’s ‘P20-Benteng Bigas Meron Na’ (PBBM) rice program is rolled out in Mandaue.
“Estudyohan sa nato basin mapareha ani ba,” he said.
According to data from the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, 1,198 sacks were allocated to Mandaue. Of these, 397 sacks, or 59,900 kilos, were left unused. The rice was originally meant for 4,137 indigent beneficiaries.
Mandaue was expected to remit P1,198,000 for the full allocation but has only paid P121,000 to date.
| Written by Kristin De Dios
