THE Office of the Ombudsman yesterday placed three officials of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and two executives of the Food Terminal Inc (FTI) under preventive suspension for six months effective immediately in relation to an ongoing probe into the latter’s alleged anomalous agreement with an onion supplier for Kadiwa stores.
Ombudsman Samuel Martires signed the order dated August 1, 2023 covering DA assistant secretary for Consumer Affairs Kristine Y. Evangelista, administrative officer Eunice Biblanias, and DA acting chief accountant Lolita Jamela.
From the FTI, those covered by the suspension order were vice president for operations John Gabriel Benedict Trinidad and FTI Budget Division head Juanita Lualhati.
The five officials, along with DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban and FTI president Robert Tan, are facing complaints for grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service in connection with the shortage of supply of onions in local markets, its price manipulation, and the questionable procurement of onions by FTI from the Bonena Multi-Purpose Cooperative.
The Ombudsman said that the DA, through Panganiban, entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with FTI for the Food Mobilization (Kadiwa Food Hub) project. The FTI, meanwhile, signed a Letter of Agreement (LOA) with Bonena for the delivery of 8,845 bags (approximately 28 kilograms/bag) of onions as part of the said Kadiwa Food Hub.
Martires announced the start of the probe into the deal in January this year after the price of onions soared to P700 in the last quarter of 2022 despite assurances from DA officials that there was no shortage of supply.
A panel of investigators from the Ombudsman’s Field Investigation Office (FIO) recommended placing the respondents, except Panganiban and Tan, under preventive suspension noting that their continued stay in office “may influence potential witnesses and may prejudice the case filed against them due to their continued access to documentary evidence relative thereto.”
“In view of the foregoing, it appears that the evidence of guilt of respondents Evangelista, Biblanias, Jamela, Trinidad III, and Lualhati is strong and the charges against them involve grave misconduct and gross neglect of duty which may warrant their removal from the service,” the FIO panel said.
The FIO said Panganiban and Tan were excluded from the suspension order because their supposed participation in the illegal acts were not established by evidence on record.
It said: “Documents further show that violations of Republic Act No. 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act) in relation to Republic Act No. 9184 or the Procurement Law were allegedly committed by the respondents in relation to the said Kadiwa Food Hub Project, i.e. lack of parameters in the selection of cooperative that will supply and deliver the onions, questionable advance payment of 50 percent of the contract price, non-compliance of the MOA, partial implementation of the contract, and doubtful deliveries by Bonena.”
The Ombudsman added that, together with the preventive suspension, the respondents have likewise been required to submit their counter-affidavits addressing the allegations against them as part of the criminal aspect of the investigation.
Aside from the Kadiwa project, investigators are also looking into allegations that there was an artificial shortage of supplies and price manipulation.
