Contrary to claims made by the former Head of the Presidential Management Staff, Elena Bautista-Horn that “rotting rice in the NFA warehouses came from UN donors,” in particular the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the Department of Social Welfare and Development clarified yesterday that WFP has never donated rice to the National Food Authority.

“WFP did purchase rice from NFA during the immediate aftermath of typhoon Ondoy and other typhoons in 2009,” said DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman. They used that rice for the emergency food distributions for the flood victims in partnership with DSWD,” she added.

DSWD and WFP have been in close collaboration in various food assistance programs in the country. In Luzon, WFP has supported DSWD’s efforts in providing relief and rehabilitation assistance to the victims of Ondoy in 2009. In Mindanao, assistance has been provided to the conflict-affected communities  since 2006.

WFP can only import rice by requesting authority to import with the NFA through DSWD endorsement.

“We have put a mechanism wherein DSWD has to first approve WFP’s rice importation for programs implemented to ensure that market distortion in the country is avoided,” the Secretary clarified.

Working together, DSWD and WFP have assisted over 3.5 million vulnerable people in disaster and conflict-affected areas of the country and continue to support rehabilitation programs aimed at rebuilding lives and livelihoods of the affected communities.  ### (Social Marketing Service) 9 August 2010.