Marcos orders DA to review NFA processes amid reported anomalous rice sale

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said he ordered the Department of Agriculture to examine the trading processes of the National Food Authority amid the recently reported alleged illegal sale of 75,000 bags of rice to private traders. 

“The situation actually does not only involve the anomalous sale of NFA rice. It also is an examination of 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. 

Last Friday, Senator Cynthia Villar said her panel is eyeing to the investigation of the e reported sale of NFA rice to certain private traders at low prices disadvantageous to the government

“We will investigate that. I have personal experience concerning that. That’s why I am not happy about it,” the senator said. 

The DA earlier disclosed there’s an ongoing conduct of investigation 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.

Marcos, meanwhile,  assured 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 may 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,” the President said.