2 Negros Occidental employees asked to explain missing fertilizers worth P2.3M

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

BACOLOD CITY — Two employees of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) in Negros Occidental were ordered to explain the disappearance of 789 bags of fertilizer worth P2,367,000.

Joy Cardinal and Herminigildo Basilio, both OPA employees assigned at the Rice Processing Center warehouse in Barangay Tabunan, Bago City, were issued show-cause orders on May 2, since the fertilizers and the key of the warehouse were entrusted to them.

“This is a notice to explain. This is not a formal charge so there is no preventive suspension order,” said Provincial Legal Officer Alberto Nellas Jr. in an interview on Thursday..

The fertilizers, he said, were found missing when representatives of Cauayan town, Negros Occidental could not withdraw the town’s share of fertilizers in October last year because there was no more stock at the warehouse.

The show-cause order was signed by Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz on April 18.

Three security personnel at the Rice Processing Center, however, were not issued show-cause orders since the persons in charge of safeguarding the warehouse were Cardinal and Basilio, Nellas said.

“It is the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist which is responsible for safeguarding and releasing the contents of the warehouse,” he explained.

The Inquirer tried to reach Cardinal and Basilio for comment, but the two officials had yet to respond as of Friday.

Diaz urged the two government employees to respond to the show-cause orders if they want to answer the allegations hurled against them.

“(Failure to submit an explanation) shall be considered a waiver thereof and the preliminary investigation maybe completed even without your explanation, comment or affidavit,” he said.

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