BACOLOD CITY , Philippines — The provincial government of Negros Occidental has been told by the Department of Agriculture (DA)-Western Visayas to replace the 789 bags of fertilizers that were reported missing from a warehouse in Bago City.
Earlier, the DA endorsed 4,170 bags of fertilizer to the provincial government for distribution to local farmers affected by Typhoon Odette.
The bags of fertilizer were delivered for safekeeping in a warehouse in Barangay Tabunan.
Two employees of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist assigned at the warehouse are being investigated by the provincial legal office over the missing items worth P2.3 million.
Following the investigation, provincial agriculturist Edmundo Causing resigned from his post, citing health reasons, according to provincial administrator Rayfrando Diaz.
In a letter to Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, DA-Western Visayas officer-in-charge Albert Barrogo said they received requests from the local governments of Bago, Cadiz, Cauayan and Kabankalan to release their fertilizer allocation as well as the remaining balance for those who received partial allocations.
Barrogo expressed hope that the provincial government would replace the missing bags of fertilizers, so the DA could release these to farmers in time for the cropping season.