GCG Chairperson Justice Alex Quiroz(Photo courtesy of Senate PRIB) MANILA - The Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG) on Thursday clarified that it has taken appropriate steps in abolishing the Northern Foods Corporation (NFC) and initiating actions for the liquidation of the non-performing government corporation as early as 2021. GCG chairperson Justice Alex Quiroz made the clarification following a news report citing a Commission on Audit (COA) report for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2022 that claimed the GCG has yet to convene the Technical Working Group (TWG) for the abolition of the NFC a year after it was approved by the Office of the President through a Memorandum dated Dec. 1, 2021. The news report further claimed that the failure of the GCG to convene the TWG, which is comprised of the Department of Agriculture, Department of Budget and Management, Landbank of the Philippines, and the Privatization Management Office has resulted in unresolved issues on compensation, liquidati
TOMATO PROCESSING. The Northern Foods Corporation in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte in this undated photo. This government facility used to process fresh ripe tomatoes into paste until the government abolished it last year to give way to privatization. (File photo by Leilanie Adriano) LAOAG CITY - The Department of Agriculture (DA) has approved a total of PHP100 million to revive a tomato processing plant in Ilocos Norte. Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc confirmed this on Thursday as he announced that tomato growers from which Northern Foods Corporation (NFC) sources its tomatoes may resume planting soon once the new management takes over. "We have the PHP100 million from DA for our tomato processing plant. Hopefully, we can reactivate the NFC the soonest," said Manotoc as his administration pushes for product-processing and agri-business to capture more stages of the value chain. Tomato is among the high-value crops of Ilocos Norte with a ready market but with the closure