AGRICULTURE Assistant Secretary Kristine Evangelista and Food Terminal Inc. Vice President John Gabriel Trinidad III have been ordered dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the alleged questionable procurement of onions.
It also ordered the filing of charges against Evangelista, Trinidad, and 16 others for graft and falsification of documents.
But it dismissed the administrative and criminal charges against DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban, DA chief accountant Lolita Jamela, DA administrative officer Eunice Biblanians, FTI president Robert Tan, and FTI budget division head Juanita Lualhati for insufficiency of evidence and lack of probable cause.
The DA and FTI officials were earlier accused of involvement in the dubious procurement of onions and price manipulation.
This was one of the factors blamed for the increase in onion prices in the country last year.
The DA had entered into a memorandum of agreement with FTI for the Kadiwa project.
The FTI, in turn, entered into a letter of agreement with Bonena for the delivery of 8,845 bags of onions for Kadiwa.
But the complainants said there was a lack of parameters in the selection of the cooperative that would supply the onions, a questionable advance payment of 50 percent of the contract price, and doubtful deliveries by Bonena.
To be charged along with Evangelista and Trinidad are Israel Reguyal, Benedict Libres, Marlon Pagsisihan, Jocelyn Jane, Rossul Batadhay, Romy Jimeno, Charlito Ylanan, Francisco Laplana III, Arnold Osorio, Angelo Lajom, Randy Santos, Erickson Cortez, Ruben Bautista, Vince Lorenzo, Windell Glenn Canaan, and AJ Bamala.
