Vendors tend to their stalls selling rice at the Kamuning Market in Quezon City on August 9, 2023. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Johnson Manabat

ABS-CBN News

<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/20160801-qc-government-agencies-JC-6973.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="National Food Authority. Jonathan  Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File."/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">National Food Authority. <em><strong></strong>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File.<strong></strong></em></span></span></span></div><div><span dir="ltr" id="isPasted">MANILA — The Department of Agriculture (DA) announced on Monday the suspension of 139 officials and employees of the National Food Authority (NFA) for their alleged involvement in the controversial sale of rice buffer stocks.</span></div><div><span dir="ltr">In a press conference, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr. said the Ombudsman found merit to preventively suspend NFA officials, including its administrator Roderico Bioco, assistant administrator for operations John Robert Hermano, and several regional managers and warehouse supervisors of the agency.</span></div><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/2024/2/28/da-chief-orders-investigation-on-nfa-rice-sale-1117"></a><span dir="ltr"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/2024/2/28/da-chief-orders-investigation-on-nfa-rice-sale-1117">READ: </a></span><a class="fr-green fr-strong" 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><span dir="ltr"></span></div><div><span dir="ltr">Earlier, NFA Assistant Administrator for Operations Lemuel Pagayunan disclosed the alleged selling of 75,000 bags of NFA rice without undergoing through the proper public bidding. <br/><br/>In his letter to the Office of the President dated February 13, Pagayungan alleged that Bioco issued a memoranda allowing the sale of 75,000 bags of NFA rice totaling P93.75 million to certain traders. <br/><br/>Laurel said he has been in contact with the Ombudsman since the issue of the sale of rice buffer stocks was raised. <br/><br/>“I condemned this at hindi natin palalampasin ang ano mang uri ng korapsyon, kaisa ako sa ating Ombudsman sa layunin nitong alamin ang katotohanan at parusahan ang dapat maparusahan,” Laurel said.<br/><br/>According to Laurel, the 6-month preventive suspension will take effect March 4.<br/><br/>He added that he had already created a special panel of internal investigators to determine culpability and to ensure how the agency can prevent similar incident from happening again. <br/><br/>Laurel said he would temporarily take over the leadership of NFA.<br/><br/>Bioco, according to Laurel, had already filed a leave of absence last Friday to give way for the investigation.<br/><br/>The suspended NFA officials can still appeal to the Ombudsman, according to Laurel. <br/><br/>Sen. Imee Marcos said she would file a resolution to probe the suspicious P93.75 million sale of 75,000 bags of rice to 2 traders.</span></div><div><span dir="ltr"><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></span></div><div><span dir="ltr"><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oV_pIiIjI0E?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong></span><br/></div>

<p>DA Secretary Francisco Laurel said he would temporarily take over the leadership of NFA.</p>

DA Secretary Francisco Laurel said he would temporarily take over the leadership of NFA.

139 NFA officials, employees suspended over sale of rice buffer stocks | ABS-CBN

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139 NFA officials, employees suspended over sale of rice buffer stocks

139 NFA officials, employees suspended over sale of rice buffer stocks

Johnson Manabat,

ABS-CBN News

Published Mar 04, 2024 02:55 PM PHT

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Updated Mar 04, 2024 05:42 PM PHT

Read More:

NFA

rice buffer stocks

Sec. Francisco Tiu Laurel

Roderico Bioco

John Robert Hermano

Ombudsman

DA

Department of Agriculture

ANC

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