2 NFA provincial managers sacked

MALOLOS CITY , Philippines   – The provincial managers of the National Food Authority (NFA) in Bulacan and Pampanga, along with their assistants, have been relieved from their posts in connection with the repacking of NFA rice into commercial rice.

Relieved were Serafin Manalili and Elvira Obana of the Bulacan and Pampanga NFA offices, respectively.

The relief came a month after agents of the Criminal Investigation Detection Group (CIDG), along with NFA personnel, raided two commercial rice warehouses in Bulacan due to alleged hoarding.

Aside from Manalili and Obana, also relieved were their respective assistants, Domingo Punongbayan and Jovi Castillo.

Manalili and Obana were transferred to the NFA regional office in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija under “floating status” starting last Tuesday.

They were replaced by Amadeo de Guzman, regional director of NFA Central Luzon, and his assistant Mar Alvarez.

Alvarez had once served as NFA manager in Bulacan.

Sources said the relief of Obana and Manalili was connected to a raid on Jommaro Star Rice Mill in Marilao, Bulacan las month, where sacks of NFA rice were reportedly repacked and sold as commercial rice.

During the operation, authorities discovered that the NFA rice came from Pampanga.

Days later, NFA Administrator Arthur Juan led an inspection at the Purefeeds Corp. warehouse in Malolos City where the alleged mixing of NFA rice with an animal-feed component was discovered. 

Juan vowed to “leave no stone unturned” in the investigation on possible collusion between the NFA personnel and commercial rice traders.

He ordered Manalili and Obana to explain why the truckloads of NFA rice ended up in the warehouses of commercial rice traders.