The House Committee on Agriculture and Food will open on Thursday its probe on the alleged improper disposition of National Food Authority (NFA) rice stocks.
In a news briefing, House Committee on Agriculture and Food Chairman Wilfrido Mark Enverga said, as instructed by Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, there will be no sacred cows in the upcoming probe.
“Nothing will be left untouched, nothing will be swept under the rug. Every aspect of the issue would be thoroughly investigated without fear or favor,” said Enverga, echoing the chamber’s commitment to uncovering the truth behind the reported irregularities in the sale of NFA rice stocks.
He said lawmakers’ determination to conduct a comprehensive inquiry will leave no room for any untoward influence or protection of implicated parties.
Enverga and Rep. Robert Raymund Estrella filed House Resolution 1611, directing the Committee on Agriculture and Food to conduct an inquiry into the alleged improper disposition of NFA rice stocks to investigate the authorization of the sale of rice stocks to selected traders in violation of existing rules and procedures.
The inquiry came on February 12, 2024, when NFA Assistant Administrator for Operations Lemuel R. Pagayunan submitted a comprehensive report to the NFA Council.
The report, titled “Report on Administrator Bioco’s Improper Disposition of NFA Rice Stocks to Selected Rice Traders,” contained document citations authorizing regional managers to release specific volumes of NFA rice bags to certain traders.
Enverga said the report alleged that the rice sold to the mentioned traders, totaling 75,000 bags, was initially deemed “aging and deteriorating” stocks but was subsequently found fit for human consumption.
He also said the sale to pre-selected buyers without proper authorization from the NFA Council is “violated rules and guidelines governing the proper disposition of NFA stocks.”
According to Enverga, the selected rice traders who bought the said stock at a price much lower than the prevailing price of P1,250 per bag have allegedly re-bagged the stocks and sold them at much higher prices.
The resolution noted that the NFA is entrusted with the efficient and effective acquisition and maintenance of rice stocks, ensuring their proper disposition before the quality deteriorates and becomes unacceptable or unsafe.
Under Republic Act 11203, the NFA is mandated to ensure food security by maintaining sufficient buffer stocks sourced solely from local farmers.
The term “buffer stock” is defined as the optimal level of rice inventory to be maintained at any given time for emergency situations and to support government disaster relief programs during natural or man-made calamities.
NFA policies
AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee said he filed House Resolution No. 1625 to probe the current policies of the NFA and its implementation regarding the optimal utilization of their goods and proper disposal methods.
“There is a need to identify any gaps or loopholes in the existing policies of NFA. Kailangang linawin ang mga polisiya, tuldukan ang mga kalakaran na ugat ng katiwalian, at panagutin ang mga corrupt na dumadagdag lang sa pasanin ng taumbayan,” he said.
“Sa panahon na hirap ang ating mga magsasaka sa ani dahil sa epekto ng El Niño, kailangan natin ng mamumuno sa NFA na walang bahid ng korapsyon. Kung maayos lang sana ang pamahahala ng buffer stock ng bigas, mababawasan ang pag-angkat natin nito.”
Lee urged President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to purge corrupt officials and employees of the NFA to restore public trust in the agency.
The lawmaker made the call after NFA Administrator Roderico Bioco and 138 other NFA officials and employees were suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman for their alleged involvement in the anomalous sale of the government’s rice buffer stocks.
“Malaking kasalanan ang paglustay sa supply ng bigas, lalo pa napakamahal ng presyo ng pagkain at mga pangunahing bilihin ngayon,” he said.
“In order to restore the trust of the public in the NFA, there needs to be a revamp and the first step to that is to remove all officials involved in anomalies,” he added.
Appointment
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said Wednesday that the NFA Council appointed Piolito Santos, NFA assistant administrator for finance and administration, as officer-in-charge (OIC) of the agency.
Santos’ appointment as NFA OIC-Administrator follows the preventive suspension imposed by the Ombudsman on Monday against 139 officials and employees in connection with the ongoing investigation into the controversial disposition of rice buffer stocks in a transaction allegedly disadvantageous to government.
Laurel announced Santos’ designation as acting administrator during a zoom meeting with NFA employees, where he also urged over 2,000 workers of the agency to focus on their jobs and not be distracted by the ongoing Ombudsman investigation.
“The NFA is a very important government agency, especially during calamities and other disasters as well as in the lives of millions of poor Filipinos. We cannot lose heart during this challenging time for the NFA and DA family.”
Santos is career service officer who has spent four decades with the NFA and is scheduled to retire in May. He has a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Business major in Agriculture Economics from the Isabela State University and a master’s degree in business administration and a doctorate in Organization Development and Planning from Northeastern College.
The passage of the Rice Tarrification Law in 2019 removed NFA’s rice trading function. It was limited to maintaining a national buffer stock equivalent to 300,000 metric tons of rice.