Opposition Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino said Friday the National Food Authority was still prone to mismanagement and corruption.
“What about the corruption allegations surrounding National Food Authority administrator Jason Aquino?” he asked.
Aquino said the government should look into allegations against Aquino rather than entrust him with the task of importing thousands of metric tons of rice.
“Because he had been remiss in his job, the price of rice spiked [had] cost additional burden to Filipinos,” said Aquino, who earlier called for the resignation of the NFA administrator.
He questioned what had happened to the allegations against the management of NFA.
During a Senate hearing on the rice issue, Jason Aquino admitted the agency failed to comply with required 15-day buffer stock since last year.
Aquino said this drove the prices of commercial rice up, burdening poor Filipino families further.
“This happened because the NFA failed to do their mandated duty and not due to the NFA Council,” said Aquino.
Aquino said the President’s removal of the powers of NFA Council chairman and Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr. was unnecessary and left the NFA even more prone to corruption and impunity.
“Bakit sinisisi si Evasco na ang tanging gusto lang ay hindi mahaluan ng katiwalian ang proseso ng pag-aangkat ng bigas,” said Aquino in Tagalog.
Evasco was pushing for a government-to-private mode of procurement to make the process more transparent while Aquino wanted a government-to-government mode, which was prone to corruption.