Ombudsman Samuel Martires said on Friday that some officials and employees of the National Food Administration who were preventively suspended have taken leaves from work following the investigation of the alleged anomalous rice sales by the agency.

In a radio interview, Martires said that the six-month preventive suspension is without a salary, and reports of preventively suspended NFA officials going on leave reached his office.

“Hindi pwedeng mag-leave sila during the period of preventive suspension," he stressed.

(They cannot take leave during the period of preventive suspension.)

“Or meron daw nag-leave prior to the receipt of the preventive suspension" (or someone said to have taken leave prior to the receipt of the preventive suspension), he added, saying that he would sign a letter to the NFA human resources manager regarding the situation.

"Kung mayroong opisyal na kasama doon sa preventive suspension na may prior leave, approved leave, that leave is deemed to have been terminated upon the receipt of the preventive suspension," he said.

(If there is an official included in the preventive suspension with prior leave, approved leave, that leave is deemed to have been terminated upon receipt of the preventive suspension.)

"Hindi puwedeng palusutan na naka-leave ako.” (It can't be an excuse that I'm on leave.)

Moreover, Martires said that the preventive suspension of some of the NFA officials may be lifted once it is proven that they have no involvement in the reported improper rice buffer stock sale.

Personally served subpoena

Martires personally served a subpoena to the NFA on Thursday to request a list of the agency’s warehouses involved in the reported selling of rice to certain private traders without public bidding, which is ‘greatly disadvantageous to the government.’

Martires said that he was forced to personally serve the subpoena.

“Napilitan ako na ako na mismo ang magdala ng subpoena sa kanila dahil mula noong Lunes, nag-isyu ng subpoena ang mga imbestigador, mukhang parang sa tingin [ko], ina-asses ko yung sitwasyon, parang pinagpapasa-pasahan,” he said.

(I was forced to bring a subpoena to them myself because since Monday, the investigators issued a subpoena. It seems like [I] think I'm assessing the situation; it's like it's being passed around.)

“Ang isang situation na parang feeling namin pinagtuturo kami parang basketball, ay sabi ng central office, ang dokumento daw ay nasa mga region. Sabi naman ng mga region, ang mga dokumentong regional ay nasa central office, eh sino bang nagsasabi ng totoo? Hindi ko alam kung may tinatago o ano.”

(A situation where we felt like we were being taught like basketball, was that the central office said that the document was in the regions. The regions said that the regional documents are in the central office. Who is telling the truth? I don't know if something is being hidden or what.)

On Monday, the Department of Agriculture implemented the preventive suspension order of the Ombudsman against 139 NFA officials and employees following reports of the sale of 75,000 bags of rice to traders without public bidding.

DA spokesperson Asec. Arnel de Mesa said that among the 139 suspended NFA officials, there are 99 warehouse supervisors, 26 branch managers, and 12 regional managers, including NFA administrator Roderico Bioco and assistant administrator of operations John Robert Hermano.

New NFA OIC-Administrator

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. on Wednesday appointed NFA acting assistant administrator for finance and administration Piolito Santos as the officer in charge of the agency.

Santos said that, as the NFA OIC, his function would be routine matters.

“But of course, we are requesting that some of the functions of non-OIC or any acting capacity be given the right to facilitate the operation of the National Food Authority, especially now that we have 139 suspended employees, including our fellow warehouse personnel who are in different warehouses nationwide,” he said. “It really needs to be fixed so that their warehouses can be opened so that we can provide services to our Filipino people.”