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Agri dept yet to receive Ombudsman order lifting suspension of 23 NFA employees

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Pia Gutierrez

Victoria Tulad

ABS-CBN News

<div><span dir="ltr" id="isPasted"></span></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17104854067831710485445023.jpeg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">National Food Authority. <em id="isPasted"><strong style="color:rgb(29, 29, 29) !important"></strong></em><em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span></div><div style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial"><span style="text-align:center;position:relative;max-width:100%;margin:5px auto;display:block;float:none;vertical-align:top;width:950px"></span></div><div><span dir="ltr" id="isPasted"></span></div><p>Ombudsman Samuel Martires has approved the lifting of the preventive suspension of 23 warehouse employees of the National Food Authority (NFA). </p><p>Investigators recommended lifting the suspension after the 23 employees cooperated with the investigation and gave necessary documents.</p><p>“We are saying there is no need to continue the suspension of these employees because we gathered probably some documents from them, they cooperated, we attained the objective,” Martires said in an interview.</p><p>The said employees from Antique, Iloilo, Nueva Ecija, Antipolo, Valenzuela, and Bulacan may now go back to work and receive proper compensation. </p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/2024/2/28/da-chief-orders-investigation-on-nfa-rice-sale-1117">Agri dept probes alleged improper NFA rice sale</a></div><p>Martires clarified, however, that the workers were not yet off the hook as they remained respondents in the case.</p><p>“We are not saying that any of these respondents that were preventively suspended are guilty. We’re not also saying that they are not guilty. Wala pa kaming masyadong ebidensiya,” he said.</p><p>According to Martires, the preventive suspension was necessary to protect the documents and prevent possible witnesses from being harassed.</p><p>The Office of the Ombudsman preventively suspended 139 officials and employees of NFA for the alleged disadvantageous sale of rice buffer stock.</p><p>Martires said the updated number is 140. One employee from Batangas was dropped from the list due to an erroneous detail submitted to the Ombudsman.</p><p>More than a hundred of the suspended employees went to the Ombudsman on Thursday to file a motion for reconsideration. They said their duties were just ministerial.</p><p>In response, Martires said, “That has to be proven that your duties are ministerial that you don’t have the discretion to refuse. That has to be proven. We are still in the process of investigation.”</p><p>As to the inclusion of deceased and retired employees in the list, Martires said they only based it on the document submitted to them by the Department of Agriculture.</p><p>“The list or the matrix that was given to us came from the office of the Department of Agriculture’s Secretary which was provided to him also by the National Food Authority. Kung sino man ang gustong sumabotahe kay Secretary Tiu Laurel, dapat imbestigahan niya ito dahil siyempre nagre-rely lang ang isang Secretary sa data na ibibigay sa kanya. Kung mayroon mang patay doon, di alam ni Secretary yun, lalo namang hindi namin alam,” he said.</p><p>(The list or the matrix that was given to us came from the office of the Department of Agriculture’s Secretary which was provided to him also by the National Food Authority. Whoever wants to sabotage Secretary Tiu Laurel should be investigated because the Secretary, of course, only relies on the data given to him. If there is a deceased in the list, the Secretary doesn’t know that, and we, more so, don’t.)</p><p>Martires said more suspension orders could be lifted if more accused cooperate.</p><p>The Department of Agriculture said it has yet to receive the Ombudsan order, which was <span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">a welcome development for the employees who could now get their salaries.</span> </p><p>“So hinihintay namin ngayon itong panibagong mahigit sa 20 na na-lift nga iyong suspension at iyan ay magandang balita para sa mga empleyado dahil nga sila ay na-suspend without pay, so malaking tulong sa kanila na ma-lift at para makatulong uli sa kanilang pamilya,” DA Spokesperson Assistant Arnel De Mesa said in a televised briefing.</p><p>(We are now waiting for this new order lifting the suspension of the more than 20 personnel, and that is good news for the employees, because they have been suspended without pay, so it is a big help for them and their family.)</p><div><ivs-player data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-vid="2984722"></ivs-player></div><script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script><div><br/></div>

<p>Ombudsman Samuel Martires has approved the lifting of the preventive suspension of 23 warehouse employees of the National Food Authority (NFA) as recommended by investigators. </p>

Ombudsman Samuel Martires has approved the lifting of the preventive suspension of 23 warehouse employees of the National Food Authority (NFA) as recommended by investigators.

Ombudsman lifts preventive suspension on 23 NFA employees

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Ombudsman lifts preventive suspension on 23 NFA employees

Pia Gutierrez,

Victoria Tulad,

ABS-CBN News

Published Mar 15, 2024 03:12 PM PHT

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Updated Mar 15, 2024 03:50 PM PHT

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Department of Agriculture

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