Yap assures ample rice supply in Bohol
Published Mar 29, 2020 12:00 am
By Minerva Newman
TAGBILARAN CITY — Bohol governor Arthur Yap assured Boholanos that the province had enough rice supply for any eventuality that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 crisis could bring.
Bohol Governor Arthur Yap (MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
Yap made this assessment even as local government units (LGUs) in the province have started to rush the procurement of supplies for relief packages for Boholanos being affected by the strict measures being implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
In a media briefing Saturday, Yap said the LGUs' initial rice volume purchases were seen to stabilize and secure the provincial inventory of stocks in the next three to four months.
Bohol has 30,560 hectares of rice farms with an average yield of 2.8 metric tons per hectare, plus warehouse stocks from the National Food Authority (NFA), wholesalers and retailers.
“We can have about 1.154 million cavans of rice estimated to be sufficient for the province’s need in the next three to four months,” Yap added.
"At least we have self-sufficient rice stock in the province for four months," he added.
On March 25, the governor issued Executive Order (EO) No. 20 reiterating the price ceiling, suggested retail price, and price freeze of basic commodities including rice. He created under the same issuance the Provincial Price Monitoring Joint Task Force (PPMJTF) to enforce the order.
The governor also amended an earlier EO No. 16 exempting the older and younger Boholanos engaged in food production from the 24-hour curfew, although all senior citizens of ages 65 and up and children below 18 years old have been placed on 24-hour curfew as another COVID-19 prevention measure.
But the governor amended it by EO 16-A to exempt from day-night curfew the senior citizens who are "in the agricultural and fishery industries, in the actual performance of farming and fishery activities."
Children of ages 17-15 "who actually assist their families in any farming or fishery activities" are likewise exempted, the EO read.
The province has another EO imposing curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. on all Bohol residents, except, for example, the frontline health workers.
Yap also announced that drugstores and banks have accepted the arrangement to honor senior citizen's proxy to buy medicines/drug and transact bank services such as getting their pensions, with the proxy to present his/her valid ID and authorization from the senior citizen.
Bohol Governor Arthur Yap (MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
Yap made this assessment even as local government units (LGUs) in the province have started to rush the procurement of supplies for relief packages for Boholanos being affected by the strict measures being implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
In a media briefing Saturday, Yap said the LGUs' initial rice volume purchases were seen to stabilize and secure the provincial inventory of stocks in the next three to four months.
Bohol has 30,560 hectares of rice farms with an average yield of 2.8 metric tons per hectare, plus warehouse stocks from the National Food Authority (NFA), wholesalers and retailers.
“We can have about 1.154 million cavans of rice estimated to be sufficient for the province’s need in the next three to four months,” Yap added.
"At least we have self-sufficient rice stock in the province for four months," he added.
On March 25, the governor issued Executive Order (EO) No. 20 reiterating the price ceiling, suggested retail price, and price freeze of basic commodities including rice. He created under the same issuance the Provincial Price Monitoring Joint Task Force (PPMJTF) to enforce the order.
The governor also amended an earlier EO No. 16 exempting the older and younger Boholanos engaged in food production from the 24-hour curfew, although all senior citizens of ages 65 and up and children below 18 years old have been placed on 24-hour curfew as another COVID-19 prevention measure.
But the governor amended it by EO 16-A to exempt from day-night curfew the senior citizens who are "in the agricultural and fishery industries, in the actual performance of farming and fishery activities."
Children of ages 17-15 "who actually assist their families in any farming or fishery activities" are likewise exempted, the EO read.
The province has another EO imposing curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. on all Bohol residents, except, for example, the frontline health workers.
Yap also announced that drugstores and banks have accepted the arrangement to honor senior citizen's proxy to buy medicines/drug and transact bank services such as getting their pensions, with the proxy to present his/her valid ID and authorization from the senior citizen.