NBI, accountants helped probe rice import overprice

MANILA, Philippines –  The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), accountants and procurement professionals are supporting the government and the National Food Authority (NFA) in determining those culpable for overpricing and over-importation of rice during the previous administration.

“The NBI is looking into this on the criminal aspect. On the administrative aspect, this is being reviewed by the NFA Council, which is an inter-agency body,” Presidential Communications Operations Office chief Herminio Coloma said yesterday.

Coloma said the investigation is moving ahead and they have not been identifying those involved to avoid trial by publicity.

He noted President Aquino had mentioned the alleged NFA anomalies in his State of the Nation Address last year.

The investigation was started then because the agency’s debt had ballooned to P176.7 billion, he said.

Coloma said NFA administrator Lito Banayo is coordinating with the NBI and private professional groups such as accountants and purchasing experts to help in the fact-finding work.

“We do not want to just throw mud at officials, especially from the past regime. There should be concrete basis, because the President believes there must be proper analysis of the problem to get the right solution. For the analysis of the problem to be correct, the data gathered and studied must also be right and truthful,” he said.

Coloma said what the President bared last week was a product of several months of NFA fact-finding analysis.

“The documents will be turned over to the NBI and the Department of Justice so the proper charges could be readied and the people concerned investigated,” Coloma said over radio dzRH.

He said the administration is being careful with the names because people’s reputations are at stake.

“Part of the principle of treading the right path is to avoid trial by publicity. When (some information) may not be totally verified yet, we might already tarnish the names of people. The President does not want that to happen,” Coloma said.

He said the administration would want a “fruitful prosecution and conviction of the parties concerned” once charges are filed. 

NFA abolition

Meanwhile, Sen. Francis Escudero cautioned members of the Executive branch against hastily issuing statements on the abolition of the NFA when it still serves a purpose.

Escudero singled out Budget Secretary Florencio Abad for suggesting the NFA abolition and devolving its three key functions after the agency incurred P177 billion in debt because of the over-importation of rice.

“That the present administrators of the NFA found malfeasance in rice importation from the previous administration does not deserve a knee-jerk reaction,” he said. “Its mandate and processes should be reviewed at the very least.”

Earlier this week, Senators Franklin Drilon and Francis Pangilinan also called for a review of the NFA mandate to stop the bleeding of the agency. – Aurea Calica, Marvin Sy