Following the recent suspension of over 100 officials, including its administrator, and employees over the reported sale of 75,000 bags of rice to traders without public bidding, the National Food Authority now has an acting head.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. on Wednesday appointed National Food Authority Acting Assistant Administrator for Finance and Administration Piolito Santos as officer in charge.

“Earlier, there was an NFA council meeting with the head of the NFA council, our honorable Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., and I have been appointed officer in charge of the (NFA) effective today, while our President has not yet appointed anyone who will be the administrator,” Santos said in Filipino.

He said as the NFA OIC, his functions would be routine matters.

Review NFA processes

President Ferdinand Marcos on Wednesday said he ordered the DA to review the National Food Authority’s trading processes amid the recently reported alleged illegal sale of 75,000 bags of rice by the NFA to private traders.

“The situation does not only involve the anomalous sale of NFA rice. It also examines some of the procedures within the NFA that were undertaken without board approval, without the proper discussion within the NFA and with the DA and with the rest of the Cabinet,” Marcos told reporters in an ambush interview in Melbourne.

He assured that he would not tolerate anomalies in the agriculture sector.

“So, we have taken the safe measure of suspending all of those who have been shown to have been involved in any of these wrongdoings, such as the anomalous sale, but also the cavalier way in which the procedures that have been set out in the rules have been ignored,” he said.

The DA earlier disclosed there’s an ongoing investigation being conducted on the matter.

DA chief Francisco Tiu Laurel previously ordered NFA Administrator Roderico Bioco and Assistant Administrator for Operations Lemuel Pagayunan “to voluntarily take their leave of absence” while the probe is ongoing.

Bioco allegedly authorized the sale of the rice stocks, worth P93.75 million, to private rice traders sans undergoing the bidding process.

Opening of warehouses

According to Santos, they are requesting that some of the functions of a non-OIC or in an acting capacity be given the right to facilitate the operation of the National Food Authority, especially with the suspension of 139 employees, including warehouse personnel in different warehouses nationwide.

“It really needs to be fixed so that the warehouses can be opened and we can provide services to the Filipino people,” he said.