Gov't nabbed rice hoarders, 40,000 bags of rice seized

Two Iligan City-based rice traders, one of them a Taiwanese national, were arrested yesterday by a composite government team for alleged hoarding of 40,000 bags of rice and charged with hoarding, involvement in cartel operations and profiteering.National Food Authority (NFA) Acting Administrator Tomas Escarez said the rice stocks of businessmen Sonia C. Payan, a Filipino-Chinese and Jhonny D. Tan, a Taiwanese kept in four warehouses in Iligan City were seized by government.Escarez said the two traders were the first to be arrested in the intensified campaign against rice hoarding ordered by President Rody Duterte.Members of the Sub-Committee on Rice Hoarding, Cartel and Smuggling which include the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the Bureau of Customs (BOC), the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), the Dept. of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Philippine Coast Guard, the Department of Labor and Employment and the NFA, swooped down on the four warehouses following reports of alleged hoarding by the two grains traders.Escarez said the documents in the possession of the two traders were inconsistent with their stock inventory and appeared spurious prompting the NFA to order the seizure.The NFA adjudication officer Sam Dimaporo and Chairperson of the Sub-Committee NFA Director Diane Silva of Region 10 together with ARD Buerano and all Reg X PMs conducted the adjudication proceedings.The arrest of the suspected hoarders and the seizure of the rice stocks was the first major accomplishment of the government team involved in the campaign against rice hoarding.(Photos submitted by Director Diane Silva, NFA Region X) No automatic alt text available sand//scontent.fcgy1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/43760012_1952751698140623_2122881048831328256_n.jpg?_nc_cat=108:ampoh=7976e6fa1fa4f750f023e33b12aba876andampoe=5C48E9BF Image may contain 2 people people standing sand//scontent.fcgy1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/43715621_1952751551473971_6126860561020878848_n.jpg?_nc_cat=111:ampoh=0836272ea290d364c8751c0a69b146cbandampoe=5C57D559 Image may contain 3 people sand//scontent.fcgy1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/43610065_1952752584807201_5269695602542772224_n.jpg?_nc_cat=1andampoh=b6890cdb3f4d723b0016bdcf05604c02:ampoe=5C5ACF38 No automatic alt text available sand//scontent.fcgy1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/43878570_1952752998140493_5515515186691178496_n.jpg?_nc_cat=1andampoh=1b385157a68d9da854bee29a4e0f2e01:ampoe=5C5725B9 Image may contain one or more people and people standing sand//scontent.fcgy1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/43766955_1952751821473944_2244323065896894464_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109:ampoh=3124445e322d035102c0c92d407a923dandampoe=5C62266E No automatic alt text available sand//scontent.fcgy1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/43626640_1952751901473936_5099185723014119424_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109:ampoh=ca2d1ff30ab3f25819173d5bdbef3269andampoe=5C557301