MANILA: Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. designated Wednesday former Assistant Administrator for Finance and Administration Piolito Santos as the new officer-in-charge of the National Food Authority (NFA).

Laurel announced the designation of Santos during the NFA council meeting.

This came two days after the implementation of the preventive suspension order of the Office of the Ombudsman against 139 NFA officials and employees nationwide amid the probe into the alleged improper sale of the rice buffer stock.

Laurel said the operations of the NFA must continue despite the ongoing 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,” he said in a Zoom meeting with NFA employees.

“We cannot lose heart during this challenging time for the NFA and DA family,’ he added.

Responsible leadership

Santos, meanwhile, vowed to ensure order under his watch.

‘This will be a fair and very
responsible leadership of the National Food Authority,” he said.

“Babaguhin natin ang pamamaraan ng pagbebenta ng bigas sa ating mga outlets para iyong nangyari ng nakaraan mga problema na nangyari ay hindi na maulit pa (We will improve our way of rice selling to our outlets to ensure that the previous problem will not happen again),” he added.

The NFA will also prioritize the sale of rice to government agencies including the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and local government units, among others, he said.

He added warehouse operations must resume amid the peak harvest season.

All other positions, meanwhile, have been filled up, granting authority to individuals not involved in the ongoing probe.

“Mayroon na kaming special orders kahapon pa na lahat ng mga nagkaroon ng preventive suspension ay mayroon nang nakatagalaga na mga OIC sa bawat regions, sa bawat branches nationwide (We had special orders yesterday that all [positions] that were subjected to preventive suspension shoul
d have designated OICs in each region, in all branches nationwide),’ he said.

Santos, meanwhile, is set to retire in May following his four decades of service in the NFA.

He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Business major in Agriculture Economics from Isabela State University, as well as a master’s degree in business administration and a doctorate in Organization Development and Planning from Northeastern College.

The DA is conducting a parallel investigation with the Office of the Ombudsman following the alleged improper sale of rice buffer stock to select traders without bidding.

The DA’s investigating panel is set to look on the NFA’s transactions since 2019.

Source: Philippines News Agency