The rot within the NFA must be excised with surgical precision, and those responsible must be made to answer for their crimes
In the annals of governmental ineptitude and corruption, the recent revelations at the National Food Authority stand as a putrid testament to the depths of depravity that certain individuals will plumb in pursuit of personal gain.
The stench of malfeasance emanating from this once-respected institution is suffocating, and the perpetrators of this heinous betrayal of public trust must be held accountable with the full force of the law.
The report, like a dagger plunged into the heart of decency, exposes the sordid machinations of NFA Administrator Roderico Bioco and his cohorts in the despicable saga of rice sales to favored traders. Assistant Administrator Lemuel Pagayunan, a lone voice crying out against the darkness, bravely brought forward evidence of Bioco’s collusion in the sale of 75,000 bags of NFA rice, totaling a staggering P93.75 million, to select cronies under the guise of disposing “deteriorating stocks.”
But what Pagayunan uncovered was not mere negligence or mismanagement; it was a calculated conspiracy to defraud the Filipino people.
Bioco, like a kingpin of a criminal syndicate, issued memoranda authorizing the sale of rice unfit for consumption, but rather treated and perfectly suitable for the market. The audacity of this deception is breathtaking in its contempt for the very citizens it purports to serve.
Furthermore, the revelation that these transactions were conducted without the approval of the NFA Council, the governing body mandated by Presidential Decree 4 to oversee such matters, adds another layer of criminality to this sordid affair.
Bioco and his accomplices, including former Assistant Administrator John Robert Hermano and NFA Region 4 Regional Manager Alwin Uy, flouted established procedures with brazen impunity, thumbing their noses at the rule of law.
Editor’s Note: There was no immediately available comment from Bioco, Hermano and Uy as the paper goes to press.)
What is perhaps most galling is the complete absence of remorse or accountability on the part of these malefactors.
Instead of acknowledging their wrongdoing and facing the consequences, they sought to cover their tracks by pre-selecting buyers and bypassing any semblance of transparency in the sale process.
The notion that the best interests of the Filipino people were even a fleeting consideration in their minds is laughable; their only concern was fattening their own wallets at the expense of the nation’s most vulnerable.
In the face of such egregious misconduct, the call for swift and decisive action is deafening.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. must not only launch a thorough investigation into these allegations but also ensure those found guilty are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Anything less would be a betrayal of the public trust and an invitation for further abuses to go unchecked.
The time for half-measures and empty promises is over.
The rot within the NFA must be excised with surgical precision, and those responsible must be made to answer for their crimes.
The Filipino people deserve nothing less than justice, and it is incumbent upon the authorities to deliver it swiftly and unequivocally.
In the words of Leigh Bardugo, an American writer and novelist, “Darkness resides in us all, a shadow waiting to consume the light. It’s a battle we wage every day, fighting against the monsters within.”
But let it be known that the monsters lurking within the halls of power will not prevail, not so long as there are those among us brave enough to shine a light into the darkness and demand accountability. The time for reckoning is at hand, and woe unto those who would dare to stand in its way.