NFA says it’s not Yao, but his in-law

NAGA CITY—The National Food Authority (NFA) clarified that trader Jerbert Yao was not named in the administrative case of illegal possession and rebagging of government-subsidized rice that the team, composed of NFA and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) personnel, busted in August last year.

Edna de Guzman, then manager of NFA-Camarines Sur, said in a phone interview on Wednesday last week (Jan. 28) that Yao’s wholesale rice and warehouse license was canceled.

In her clarification made on Monday (Feb. 2), De Guzman said the administrative case, which resulted in the cancellation of the wholesale rice and warehouse license, was filed against Sarah Jane Tecklo-Yao and not Jerbert Yao.

(De Guzman was promoted this week as acting assistant regional director of the NFA on Monday and is now based in Legazpi City. Prior to this, she was manager of the NFA-Camarines Sur based in Pili, Camarines Sur province.)

De Guzman said Tecklo-Yao, a sister-in-law of Jerbert Yao, was the registered owner of the warehouse of Sweet Fortune Commercial, where the raiding team caught workers rebagging NFA rice.

Chief Insp. Errol Garchitorena Jr., who led the raiding team, has confirmed to the Inquirer that NFA rice was confiscated in the warehouse of Sweet Fortune Commercial, located inside the compound of trading establishment J.Y. Brothers in Zone 6, Mabulo Drive, here.

J.Y. Brothers refers to Jerbert and Joel Yao.

In an interview last year, De Guzman told the Inquirer that the NFA would file an administrative case to cancel the wholesale rice and warehouse license of the trader who owned the seized NFA rice.