OFFICIALS of the National Food Authority (NFA) involved in the controversial sales have been told by Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. to take voluntary leave.
Tiu Laurel, in a statement, said NFA officials being investigated should take a leave to give investigators a free hand to do their work.
“Whoever is involved here must give the investigating party a chance to do their work properly, without any hindrance. So the best thing is, and I strongly advise them, to take a leave of absence…at least the heads —the accused and the accuser,” the Agriculture chief said.
Tiu Laurel earlier created a panel to look into allegations that certain NFA officials authorized the sale of milled rice stored in the agency’s warehouse for P25 per kilo without bidding and after purchasing the grains in palay form at P23 per kilo.
Following this, the NFA issued a statement, saying that it is mandated to keep and dispose of 99.9 percent of its stocks in good and consumable condition.
“The rice we are selling are all sold at the mandated selling price of P25/kg, although aging stocks need to be re-milled before they could be released to the consumers,” the NFA had said.
Tiu Laurel said while the probe is ongoing “we have to presume innocence.”
“We have to be impartial. Until proven guilty, everyone is innocent,” he said.
metrosundaily
