NFA to import
rice at P31 a
kilo
Low-quality grains of up to 4% 'binlid'
BY JP LOPEZ
THE National Food Authority yesterday
informed foreign rice sellers it was buying 500,000 tons
of rice for delivery between April and June for P15.47
billion or almost P31 a kilo to shore up stocks amid
rising prices and supply shortfall.
NFA said the tender will be made on
April 17, covering 400,000 tons of 25 percent "brokens,"
50,000 tons of 15 percent broken and 50,000 tons of 5
percent broken.
In dollar terms, the NFA tender is
worth $370 million, translating to an average of $740 a
ton for the three grain varieties. This compares with
$796 a ton for parboiled white rice from Vietnam.
CALOOCAN Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez,
head of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines
(CBCP) Public Affairs Committee, yesterday called on
Higher Education chair Romulo Neri to ponder on his role
to the country and act according to the dictates of his
conscience.
In a phone interview, Iñiguez said
although it is but proper to respect the decision of the
Supreme Court upholding Neri's petition to invoke
executive privilege in the Senate's ZTE inquiry, it is
still up to Neri if he will use it or not.
Last Tuesday, the tribunal, by a vote
of 9 to 6, ruled that Neri correctly invoked executive
privilege in refusing questions of the senators regarding
his conversation with President Arroyo on the P200 million
bribe attempt on him by then Elections chair Benjamin
Abalos in exchange for his approval of the project
proposal of China's ZTE Corp. for the national broadband
network project.
Archbishop's problem: Is GMA
a sinner? Well, she's no saint
BY GERARD NAVAL
LINGAYEN-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz
yesterday said it is part of Christ's teachings to love the
sinner while hating the sin.
Which is why, he said, "I think one way of
loving the sinner is precisely telling the sinner that 'You are
wrong. These are the things you should not do'.
Cruz was quoted in a press conference
Wednesday that he will not grant President Arroyo and her family
absolution and communion as she is a public sinner.
But yesterday Cruz clarified his statement
was taken out of context.
