Amid reports that rice is being sold at exorbitant prices in typhoon-affected areas, women from urban poor communities today picketed the office of the National Food Authority (NFA) in Quezon City to demand for the free distribution of rice to survivors of typhoon Yolanda, saying that the price freeze declaration by President Aquino is not enough.

“What will people do with a price freeze? In the first place, rice prices are already sky-high. Secondly, people don’t have any money to buy it with,” said Joms Salvador, Gabriela secretary general.

She said that the storming of the NFA warehouse in Alangalang, Leyte, in which eight people were crushed to death by rice sacks, could have been avoided if the agency had ordered its warehouses to immediately release its stocks. Instead, the NFA is calling the incident an “attack.”

“Ano pa ba ang hinihintay ng NFA? Hanggang ngayon ba kita pa rin ang iniisip nito?” (What is the NFA waiting for? Is it still thinking about how to earn?) said Salvador.

She expressed alarm at reports that rice is being sold at P80-P150 per kilo in Catbalogan and other towns in Samar. “What the NFA should do is mobilize all its resources and make sure that rice is distributed free to all survivors, so that rice cartels will not make a profit out of rice stocks,” Salvador added.

Women who participated in the protest action were hard-hit victims of typhoon Ondoy. They expressed their rage at the Aquino government for its slow response and neglect in the wake of the disaster, saying that they know exactly how it feels. Many of them also have relatives in Leyte and Samar.

They carried placards lambasting the government for calling the victims “looters” and “criminals.”

“Bakit ang mga taong nagugutom tinatawag na magnanakaw? Samantalang ang totoong magnanakaw, pakuya-kuyakoy sa Malakanyang? Dapat sa kanya mag-resign!” (Why are they calling hungry people ‘thieves’ while the real thief is sitting idly in Malacanang? He should resign!) said Erlinda dela Cruz, chairperson of Gabriela-District 2 chapter, referring to Aquino.

Meanwhile, Salvador said that their relief drive, called Lingap Gabriela, is continuing to receive overwhelming support, and goods are scheduled for distribution to affected areas in the coming days. Playwright and women’s rights advocate Eve Ensler helped in raising support from the international community.

Meanwhile, urban poor women go around their communities, pitching in what little they have in cash (“kahit pa-piso-piso”) and in kind.

“In Brgy. Bagong Silangan, they were able to collect P2,600 yesterday. In Brgy. Tatalon, P600, plus some canned goods from their small stores. They don’t give away clothes though because they don’t have any to spare. While these are mere drops in the buckets of aid coming in, what matters is their effort and genuine concern. Unlike this government, which has all the resources but zero concern,” Salvador told Pinoy Weekly.

The group is also dispatching teams for psycho-social counseling, as reports of rape incidents in Tacloban City have surfaced.

Gabriela also received reports that relief goods by private donors coming in from the town of Allen, Samar, have been blocked by the military because they are still “awaiting” social workers from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). The women also picketed the DSWD office the other day to demand for immediate relief.

Meanwhile, a relative of a typhoon survivor makes a plea to Aquino to stop politicking and instead focus on providing immediate relief.

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