A worker carries a sack of rice inside a National Food Authority warehouse in Quezon City, Metro Manila.
Dansal said the NFA operation centers in the central and field offices have been activated since Sunday. They are open 24/7. “We have sufficient rice stocks in the regions and provinces affected by the ash fall. There are NFA employees who are on skeletal force in central and field offices and in warehouses, ready to serve the requirement of the LGUs , DSWD , and other relief agencies should they need rice for the ashfall victims,” she pointed out.
Southern Luzon has a total rice equivalent of 1,930,000 bags; Metro Manila has 197,000 bags, and Central Luzon has 1,963,000 bags. Dansal also assured the public that government rice is safe for human consumption as they are stored in properly maintained warehouses and would not be affected by the ashfall.