Ombudsman Samuel Martires yesterday placed three officials of the Department of Agriculture and two executives of Food Terminal Inc. under preventive suspension in connection with the onion supply shortage in the country.
In a three-page order dated 1 August, Martires suspended DA Assistant Secretary Kristine Evangelista, administrative officer Eunice Biblanias, DA officer-in-charge chief accountant Lolita Jamela, FTI vice president for operations John Gabriel Benedict Trinidad III, and FTI budget division head Juanita Lualhati.
They were suspended without pay for the duration of the proceedings against them.
The DA and FTI officials were charged with grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service over the onion supply shortage, price manipulation, and the allegedly dubious procurement of onions by FTI from Bonena Multi-Purpose Cooperative.
The complaint included DA senior undersecretary Domingo Panganiban and FTI president Robert Tan among the respondents. They, however, were not suspended.
Based on the records obtained by the Ombudsman, the DA, through Panganiban, entered into a memorandum of agreement with FTI for the Food Mobilization or Kadiwa Food Hub project.
FTI, on the other hand, signed a letter of agreement with Bonena for the delivery of 8,845 bags (approximately 28 kilos/bag) of onions as part of the Kadiwa Food Hub.
The respondents are accused of breaching the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (RA 3019) and the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (RA 9184) for the lack of parameters in the selection of the cooperative that would supply and deliver the onions; for the questionable advance payment of 50 percent of the contract price; the non-compliance of the MoA; the partial implementation of the contract, and doubtful deliveries by Bonena.
“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 Ombudsman said.
They were then placed under preventive suspension as they could influence potential witnesses and prejudice the case should they remain in office, the Ombudsman said.
Last year, the country experienced an agricultural shortage, primarily of onions, the price of which soared to as high as P500 to P700 per kilo during the last quarter of 2022.