DAVAO CITY — The regional office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has instructed its disaster division to validate reports that rice distributed in some areas are infested with weevils or bukbok.
DSWD XI OIC-Regional Director Grace Q. Subong, instructs disaster division staff to validate report on bukbok-infested rice surfacing on social media.
The DSWD is getting its rice stock from the National Food Authority.
“This is the first report we have received since the relief operations in October. Not one local government unit informed us either through verbal or written of same instances,” she said.
If found true, Subong assures the public that such rice packs will be replaced immediately.
In August last year, The National Food Authority (NFA) said sacks of rice infested with rice weevil (bukbok) are still safe for public consumption after these undergo fumigation.
It was also reported that over 100,000 sacks of rice infested with rice weevils at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. The sacks of rice were imported from Thailand.
Recent social media posts revealed that the government supplied rice is infested with bukbok but the government states–eating bukbok infested rice is not harmful.-Editha Z. Caduaya
