The Department of Agriculture said on Wednesday that operations at some 79 warehouses of the National Food Authority remain on hold amid the agency’s ongoing rice scam probe.

However, a total of 20 warehouses of the said number located in Region II (Cagayan Valley), Region VI (Western Visayas), and the National Capital Region will be open after the Ombudsman lifted the preventive suspension of 24 NFA employees last week.

Unhampered service

Despite the padlocked warehouses, DA spokesperson Asec. Arnel de Mesa said that the NFA’s procurement of palay from Filipino farmers would continue, especially now that the harvest season has begun.

"The Secretary also ordered those [warehouses] still closed to be opened and to replace immediately the suspended warehouse personnel. The procurement during this harvest season is unhampered," De Mesa said, further assuring the public that the closed warehouses would soon return to their normal operations.

Meanwhile, 169 warehouses managed by the NFA are currently active.

The newly appointed NFA officer-in-charge, administrator Larry Lacson, said that his top priority is ensuring the agency’s uninterrupted service.

He added that he is currently reviewing the NFA’s processes and procedures “to really see if there are gaps, if there are gray areas, and if there is something that should be improved [or] fixed.”

Lacson said that based on his initial assessment, he had already identified something to be fixed.

“Structurally and legally, there is. As a GOCC [government-owned or controlled corporation], I also look at the state of financial health because we are from the private sector. I want to understand why this is happening. We are looking at all aspects,” he said in a radio interview.