MORE RECALL ORDER. Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa hopes on Monday (March 18, 2024) for the additional lifting of a preventive suspension order against National Food Authority (NFA) employees to normalize operations in the agency. He said the NFA will have a council meeting on Monday to ensure unhampered operations amid the peak harvest season. (PNA photo of Stephanie Sevillano)
MANILA – The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Monday hoped for additional lifting of more preventive suspension orders against National Food Authority (NFA) employees to ensure unhampered operations in the agency.
“Kung merong madagdag pa, welcome iyon sa DA para bumilis iyong pagbalik sa normal na operation ng NFA. Bagamat naaayos naman iyon, pero syempre mas maganda kung makabalik din sila iyong mga walang kasalanan (If there will be additional [lifting], the DA welcomes that to bring NFA operations back to normal. Though it [operation] is kept adequate, it’s still better to have the innocent employees back,” DA Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said in an interview.
Earlier, the Office of the Ombudsman lifted the preventive suspension order against 24 NFA officials and employees after it found the list erroneous.
The 24, which included an assistant branch manager of a warehouse in Batangas province, are among the 141 NFA officials and employees suspended amid the probe on the alleged questionable sale of rice buffer stock.
De Mesa said the reinstated employees are now back at work.
“The moment na na-receive nila iyong lifting ng suspension, balik sila sa trabaho. And then iyong mga back wages nila, iyong that time na na-suspend sila, babalik din sila (The moment they received the lifting of the suspension, they are back to work. And their back wages during the time of their suspension will be given back to them),” he said.
De Mesa said the NFA will also conduct its council meeting Monday to ensure unhampered operations amid the peak harvest season.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. clarified that the “erroneous” list has been immediately submitted to the Ombudsman without the chance of audit.
“The list was given to us by NFA and we just forwarded it to the Ombudsman, believing that [it] is current and up-to-date. We had no chance to audit the list because of the urgency of the Ombudsman’s request,” he said in a statement.
“Had we verified the list with NFA management, it might have stirred suspicion as to why we are asking too much details,” he added.
The Office of the Ombudsman and the DA's parallel investigating panel are looking into the sale of NFA buffer stock rice which was allegedly disadvantageous to the government and was without bidding.
The preventive suspension will allow the Ombudsman to secure all the documents and other evidence relating to the issue. (PNA)
