Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr., took over the leadership of the National Food Authority on Monday after the Ombudsman ordered the suspension of two more executives of the food agency.

According to the Department of Agriculture (DA), Piolito Santos, who over the past week was appointed by Laurel as the officer in charge (OIC) of the NFA, was included in the ordered suspension by the Ombudsman.

The NFA acting department manager for operations and coordination, Jonathan Yazon, was also suspended.

Moreover, the agriculture chief installed Director IV Larry Lacson as the NFA OIC deputy administrator to ensure the agency’s uninterrupted service amid the suspension of over 100 of its executives and employees.

“We want to stabilize the situation at the NFA following the events of last week,” said Laurel. “We want to help NFA employees during these challenging times to continue to provide uninterrupted service, especially during this harvest season.”

The DA last Monday, 4 March 2024, implemented the preventive suspension order of the Ombudsman against 139 NFA officials and employees amid the improper rice buffer stock sale investigation.

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

Moreover, Ombudsman Samuel Martires personally served a subpoena to the NFA on Thursday to request a list of the agency’s warehouses involved in the reported anomalous selling of rice to certain private traders without public bidding.

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

He added: “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.”