PARTY-LIST Rep. Rodante Marcoleta (SAGIP) yesterday called for the resignation of Bureau of Plants Industry (BPI) Director Gerald Glenn Panganiban, largely blaming him for the surge in the prices of onions late last year.
Marcoleta made the call during the resumption of the hearing of the House Committee on Agriculture and Food on the alleged hoarding of onion and other agricultural products which the panel found were the main reasons for the high prices.
The lawmaker said Panganiban, who did not attend the hearing as he was in Rome to attend an official function, should just resign because he is occupying three important positions in the department and cannot focus on doing his job.
“Maybe I will ask him to resign already, Mr. Chair. I’d like to put that on record that Director Panganiban heads three agencies, but he cannot focus on any of them. That is why we are now in this sad plight. We’re just talking about onions here,” Marcoleta said.
Aside from the BPI, Panganiban is the concurrent director of the DA’s National Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture Program (NUPAP) and the High-Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP).
“Do you consider Director Panganiban as a Superman? Maybe that’s why we’re in this situation,” Marcoleta told agriculture officials.
Marcoleta, who withdrew his senatorial bid in the 2022 national elections, also said he would let President Marcos Jr. know the situation once he gets a chance to talk to the Chief Executive.
On orders of Speaker Martin Romualdez, the panel chaired by Quezon Rep. Mark Enverga has been investigating the hoarding and manipulating the prices of agricultural products, especially onions, to unmask the cartel and recommend the filing of appropriate charges against them.
Just last month, the panel cited in contempt three officials of the Argo International Forwarders Inc. for refusing to turn over to lawmakers their complete list of clients who stored red onions in their cold storage facility in Nueva Ecija late last year when prices were skyrocketing because of alleged hoarding of supplies.
The contempt citation was eventually lifted after the Argo executives vowed to cooperate with the probe and the three were released from detention.
The panel also eventually lifted the contempt order against resource persons Michael King and George Ong, executives of Super5 cold storage facility in Malabon City, who were cited in contempt and detained at the House of Representatives for allegedly lying before the panel when they denied being involved in trading of agricultural products, especially onion.
