MANILA - Delays in the unloading of government-subsidized rice from ships in Subic Bay led to an infestation of weevils or "bukbok" on 130,000 sacks of the grain, the National Food Authority said Thursday.

The agency earlier said unloading of the grain from ships was delayed due to heavy rains.

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"Sa tagal ng pagbaba, mainit sa loob ng barko, napaka-conducive po iyan sa pag-hatch ng mga peste," NFA spokesperson Rex Estoperez told radio DZMM.

(Amid the unloading delay, the heat inside the ship had been conducive to the hatching of the pest.)

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Authorities have started to fumigate all the pest-affected grain from Thailand, the cost of which will be shouldered by the supplier, he said.

After the fumigation, which may take 7 to 12 days, the rice will undergo laboratory tests to determine whether it will be returned to the supplier or stored in NFA warehouses pending market distribution, added Estoperez.