Ombudsman lifts suspension of 72 more NFA personnel

The Office of the Ombudsman has lifted the supposed six-month preventive suspension imposed against 72 personnel of the National Food Authority (NFA) linked to the alleged irregular sale of rice buffer stocks to favored traders, Super Radyo dzBB’s Allan Gatus reported Tuesday.

Based on a 23-page decision, the employees, who were all warehouse supervisors from Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol Region, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Soccsksargen, Caraga Region, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, were ordered to be reinstated effective April 15.

The anti-graft body noted it was no longer necessary to implement the preventive suspension of the employees, considering that it has obtained all the documents and evidence pertaining to the case. 

The Office of the Ombudsman said the main reason a preventive suspension was issued against the NFA officials was to prevent any prejudice which might be caused by their continued stay in the agency during the investigation.

However, upon closer evaluation, the Ombudsman noted that there were sufficient grounds to believe the warehouse supervisors’ continued stay in office may prejudice the investigation of the case filed against them. 

In March, the Ombudsman suspended 141 NFA officials and personnel — including administrator Roderico Bioco and assistant administrator for operations John Robert Hermano — as part of its investigation into the supposed “disadvantageous” sale of rice buffer stocks to selected traders.

The same month, the anti-graft body lifted the suspension order on 23 NFA personnel after investigators found erroneous data on the list provided by the Department of Agriculture (DA), which was supposedly sourced from the NFA. 

Ombudsman Samuel Martires said that prior to the 23, they have already lifted the suspension order on one NFA employee.

This brings the remaining employees still covered by the suspension order to 45.

The Office of the Ombudsman said Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. was given a copy of the order for its implementation, and has requested him to submit a proof of compliance.

 

In an ambush interview, Tiu-Laurel confirmed receiving the letter from the Office of the Ombudsman and expressed delight at the latest decision.

"I'm happy na nalift na 'yung suspension of about 72 [personnel]. I received the letter today. So I'm actually finalizing the order to NFA to implement the order of the Ombudsman," Tiu-Laurel said.

Meanwhile, the Agriculture secretary said the results of their parallel investigation on NFA will be released soon, but they had already seen the initial findings.

"'Yung sa investigation naman namin ilalabas dapat resulta soon. Na-delay lang dahil nawala nga 'yung lead investigator namin. So mukhang wala naman masyadong nakikitang problema, but of course, we leave it to the Office of the Ombudsman," he said.—Giselle Ombay and Hana Bordey/AOL/RF, GMA Integrated News