NFA closes Tindahan Natin outlets

By Alice Nicart

Borongan (26 August) — Some 59 Tindahan Natin outlets (TNOs) in the entire province were reportedly closed recently by the National Food Authority (NFA) for violation of Fair Trade Act.

This was gathered from NFA Provincial Office in a phone interview with Assistant Provincial Manager, Corazon Hipe.

Hipe said that the closure resulted from the findings of a Manila based internal audit team which discovered that the government rice was overpriced, in fact most of the TNOs committed this specific abuse.

NFA further stressed that a kilo of NFA rice should be sold at P18.25 only because other costs is subsidized by the government.

“It is unfortunate that several of the TNOs with whom we have entrusted this anti-hunger program of the government have forgotten their sworn social responsibility for personal and financial profit,” Ms. Hipe lamented. “Now, that the NFA auditors from Central Office executed the “One Strike Policy”, that would mean, the poor who cannot afford to buy the commercial rice will be deprived already of this government privilege because NFA will no longer replace a TNO in the locality,” she added.

The spot audit in the province was made last July, the report said, and the Team found out that NFA rice in many barangays were sold either at P20.00 per kilo, sometimes P32, P35 orP36.

Other TNOs did not have price tags, no sign boards; some even diverted the sacks of rice to non-registered buyers. (PIA-Eastern Samar)