Laurel urges NFA officials in rice sale mess to take voluntary leave

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. has advised officials of the National Food Authority (NFA) involved in the controversial sale of rice buffer stocks to take a voluntary leave of absence.

In a statement, Tiu Laurel said NFA officials being investigated should take a leave to give investigators a free hand to do their work.

“Whoever is involved here must give the investigating party a chance to do their work properly, without any hindrance. So the best thing is, and I strongly advise them, to take a leave of absence…at least the heads —the accused and the accuser,” the Agriculture chief said.

Tiu Laurel earlier created a panel to look into allegations that certain NFA officials authorized the sale of milled rice stored in the agency’s warehouse for P25 per kilo without bidding and after purchasing the grains in palay form at P23 per kilo.

Following this, the NFA issued a statement, saying that it is mandated to keep and dispose of 99.9% of its stocks in good and consumable condition.

“The rice we are selling are all sold at the mandated selling price of P25/kg, although aging stocks need to be re-milled before they could be released to the consumers,” the NFA had said.

Tiu Laurel said while the probe is ongoing “we have to presume innocence.”

“We have to be impartial. Until proven guilty, everyone is innocent,” he said. 

“But this internal investigation is very important so let’s give it time. This internal investigation is just a first step,” he added.

The Agriculture chief said the DA will act based on the results of the investigation, which he is hopeful would be completed soonest.

The NFA, in its defense, said that the disposal of its inventory was done in a responsible manner.

"The current NFA management was able to responsibly dispose of its rice stocks to government accounts by stretching to maximum shelf-life, minimizing the sale of residual volume to other accounts by implementing stricter guidelines and safeguards,” it said.

The Rice Tariffication Law, which allowed liberalized importation of rice, removed the NFA’s role to regulate the rice sector as well as it being the only agency allowed to import rice shipments into the country.

The NFA’s mandate now solely focuses on ensuring sufficient supply of buffer stocks of rice in the Philippines —30 days worth of the country's total consumption during the lean season, and 15 days otherwise. —Ted Cordero/ VAL, GMA Integrated News