7 NFA execs, axed over palay scam

By Manny Galvez

CABANATUAN CITY – Two officials of the National Food Authority (NFA) based in Nueva Ecija and five others were relieved from their posts Thursday in connection with the misclassification of 32,695 bags of palay.

NFA Region 3 director Amadeo de Guzman identified the officials as George Roca and Daniel Valenzuela, NFA provincial manager and assistant manager.

Earlier, five NFA personnel were relieved from their posts over the same case.

De Guzman said he decided to relieve Roca and Valenzuela pending the results of an investigation by a fact-finding team.

He clarified that no case has been filed yet against the two officials.

De Guzman and NFA assistant regional director Marciano Alvarez will take Roca’s and Valenzuela’s posts in concurrent capacities, respectively.     

The relief of the seven brought to 12 the total number of sacked NFA personnel.

Relieved earlier were solar dryer engineer Edmar Torres, quality control officers Cesar Paul de Guia and Adam Rayo, pest control officer Leo Thereso Ramos and acting provincial quality assurance officer Jimmy Mallari.

De Guzman said four others would be included in the investigation to determine their involvement in the misclassification of stocks.

De Guzman said the relief of Roca and Valenzuela was ordered by Renan Dalisay, who directed the security and investigation services department, the internal audit services department and the technical research and services department to investigate the case.

De Guzman clarified that the 32,695 bags of palay were not typhoon-damaged, as earlier reported.

“These palay bags were not typhoon-damaged but were misclassified,” he said, noting instead of being declared as wet, the bags of palay were made to appear as dry and clean.