Wednesday, September 24, 2008 Capitol exec could face malversation over unaccounted NFA rice By George M. De La Cruz
INTER-borrowing of stocks or supplies among government departments is deemed not proper especially if not properly documented and charges of malversation of property could be filed against a government employee.
Provincial Legal Officer IV Ernie Magaspag made the statement on Tuesday on the reported missing rice stocks piled in a bodega of the National Food Authority (NFA) at its Pana-ad Park Nursery stockroom in Barangay Mansilingan involving several offices.
Magaspag is still verifying the controversy and would make a resolution within this month. "I will conduct a separate investigation and make a physical inventory."
Under investigation by the Legal Office are the Provincial Environment and Management Office (Pemo) and the Provincial Agriculturist Office.
Pemo is the province's agency in charge of the food-for-work program of the Provincial Government in distributing NFA rice to farmer-beneficiaries in exchange, as remuneration, for the farming of palay seedlings and for other services rendered.
An audit observation memorandum report by the Commission on Audit (COA) dated September 2, 2008 confirmed that the NFA rice stocks of Pemo was found to be short by 358.96 sacks or P327,239.05.
Bodega custodian Romulo Sibolbora was already relieved from his post and was replaced by Rommel Trinio.
Account investigations made by Trinio, upon verification of Pemo last April, confirmed that only 40 sacks were available during the physical inventory.
Trinio said the unaccounted NFA rice instead were actually 358.96 sacks of which 350 sacks were "borrowed" by the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist and five sacks by Raymund Lopez of the Kasla Production under Pemo. The other eight sacks were missing.
The COA report finding said no purchases and withdrawals were made during the November 27, 2007 transaction and is now asking Pemo officer Edwin Abanil to explain.
COA further said analysis of the running inventory of the NFA rice under the new custodian confirmed that the unaccounted rice came from the Minoyan reforestation project of 511.31 sacks, Minoyan water system - 32.46 sacks, Pana-ad nursery maintenance - 3.26 sacks, pine tree seedling production - 110 sacks and disaster event - 98 sacks, totaling to 753.96 sacks minus the 395 'borrowed' sacks, resulting to a difference of 358.96 sacks, deemed as the "unaccounted rice."
Magaspag said based on his initial investigation, some five sacks of rice were also damaged by rodents and following water leaks in the hinges of the bodega.
COA, on the other hand, recommended that the Provincial Engineer's Office checks on the storeroom of the nursery because the missing eight sacks were alleged stolen.
