The Department of Agriculture said on Friday that they are awaiting the order of the Ombudsman revoking the suspension of more than 20 employees of the National Food Authority amid the improper rice sale probe.

DA spokesperson, Asec. Arnel De Mesa, meanwhile, noted that the NFA has received an order regarding the lifting of the suspension of Harold Cuartero, acting assistant branch manager in the Batangas branch office.

“Hindi pa nare-recieve ng DA yung bagong kautusan ng Ombudsman, pero may na-receive na yung National Food Authority para kay ginoong Cuartero, yung assistant branch manager ng Batangas. So na-lift na yung suspension niya. Inaantay namin ngayon itong panibagong mahigit sa dalawampu na na-lift yung suspension,” he said.

(The DA has not yet received the Ombudsman's new order, but the National Food Authority has already received one for Mr. Cuartero, the assistant branch manager of Batangas. So his suspension has been lifted. We are now waiting for more than 20 more that the suspension has been lifted.)

“Yan ay magandang balita para sa mga empleyado dahil nga sila ay na-suspend without pay, so malaking tulong sa kanila na ma-lift [yung suspension] at para makatulong muli sa kanilang pamilya,” he added.

(That's good news for the employees because they were suspended without pay, so it's a big help for them to have been lifted [the suspension] and to help their families again.)

The Ombudsman recently ordered a six-month preventive suspension order against over 100 NFA officials and employees amid the reported irregularities in their rice buffer stock sale to private traders without bidding.

Among those put to preventive suspension without salary are NFA administrator Roderico Bioco, assistant administrator of operations John Robert Hermano, acting department manager for operations and coordination Jonathan Yazon, and recently appointed officer in charge administrator Piolito Santos, which led to Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. reassuming his post of temporarily heading the NFA.

A report indicated 150,000 rice bags were allegedly sold by NFA, of which 88,000 are still at NFA warehouses.

De Mesa earlier expressed the possibility of returning the money of traders who brought the improperly sold rice.