DA lauds Ombudsman’s withdrawal of suspension order vs 23 NFA officers
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MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) has yet to receive the Ombudsman’s order scrapping the suspension of 23 National Food Authority (NFA) officers linked to the controversial sale of rice buffer stocks.
DA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel De Mesa said Friday they welcome the Office of the Ombudsman’s decision.
The Ombudsman scrubbed the suspension order it earlier issued against 23 NFA officers because their initial investigation showed that the DA submitted to them incorrect information.
The 23 NFA warehouse supervisors were among the 139 employees and officials of the rice agency whom the Ombudsman placed under a six-month preventive suspension so they could not influence the probe into the supposed unfavorable sale of rice buffer stocks to private retailers.
However, some of the suspended officers previously pointed out that the order included deceased NFA employees.
“The DA has not yet received the new order from the Ombudsman,” de Mesa said in Filipino.
READ: NFA chief: ‘No irregularities in the disposition of rice stocks’
“We are now waiting for this new [order] that suspension has been lifted for more than 20 [NFA employees]. and that is good news for the employees because they were suspended without pay, so it is a big help for them [that the order was] lifted so they could again help their family,” he also said in Filipino.
NFA Administrator Roderico Bioco is among the suspended officials. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. previously announced that the suspension orders took effect on March 4.
Laurel also said the preventive suspension order is a stern warning to government officials who are testing the resolve of the current administration to cleanse government agencies.
However, more than a hundred of the suspended NFA employees complained that their involvement in the sale of the rice buffer stocks was merely “ministerial” because they did not have discretionary powers to control operations within the rice agency.
