By Stephanie Sevillano
MANILA – The Department of Agriculture (DA) assured on Tuesday that there are enough personnel to sustain the operations of the National Food Authority (NFA).
This assurance comes after the implementation of the Ombudsman’s preventive suspension order against 139 officials and employees amidst investigations into the alleged improper sale of the rice buffer stock.
In the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing, Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa mentioned that the NFA still maintains a staff of over 1,000 individuals who will operate under the leadership of DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., who has temporarily assumed control of the NFA.
Sinisigurado namin na iyong mga papalit ay magkaroon din ng kapangyarihan o authority para iyong mga warehouse ay mananatili in operations sa pamimili sa ating mga magsasaka (We are ensuring that those who will take place shall be granted powers or authority to keep the warehouses operating in terms of buying [palay] from our farmers),” he said.
De Mesa said those who are next in line shall temporarily replace the function of suspended officials.
The suspended officials include NFA administrator Roderico Bioco, assistant administrator for operations John Robert Hermano, 13 regional managers, 26 branch managers and 99 warehouse supervisors.
The NFA is set to conduct an emergency council meeting on Wednesday to ensure the continuous purchase of palay from local farmers amid harvest season.
Commendable move
The Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG), meanwhile, lauded the move of the DA shortly after reports of the questionable transaction surfaced.
”Talagang kino-commend natin si (We are truly commending) Secretary Laurel for his decisive action,” SINAG Executive Director Jayson Cainglet said in a radio interview.
“Actually, bago pa iyong Ombudsman decision kahapon. Last week, sinabi niya na mag-leave muna iyong mga involved na persons (before the decision of the Ombudsman yesterday, he already advised the involved persons to take a leave [of absence] last week),” he added.
Cainglet insisted that the transaction, besides having no bidding, is highly disadvantageous to the government.
“PHP23 binili ng NFA ang palay, binenta PHP25 as bigas. Tapos ang impormasyong nakarating satin itong PHP25 per kilo na bigas ay naibenta ng PHP52, so doble (the NFA bought palay for PHP23 [per kilogram], sold at PHP25. Then we received information that it was sold at PHP52 [per kg], so it’s double),” he said.
Cainglet said that instead of select traders, this could have been sold to the DA’s Kadiwa stores or the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
This could have alleviated price pressures and benefited poor Filipinos, he added.
The DA, meanwhile, vowed to fast-track the probe alongside a collaboration with the Office of the Ombudsman.
”Sinasabi rin ng ating kalihim, Secretary Tiu Laurel Jr. na hindi na ito mauulit (Our Secretary Tiu Laurel Jr. said this shall not happen again),” De Mesa said.
“All of the necessary safeguards will be put in place and those who will be proven to have a problem shall face the law,” he added in mixed English and Filipino.
To date, both the DA’s internal panel of investigators and the Ombudsman are conducting a probe into the alleged improper sale of 75,000 bags of NFA buffer stock rice worth over PHP93.7 million. (PNA)
