Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said Wednesday the National Food Authority (NFA) Council appointed assistant administrator for finance and administration Piolito Santos, as officer-in-charge of the agency.
Santos’ appointment as NFA OIC-administrator follows the preventive suspension imposed by the Ombudsman on Monday against 139 officials and employees, including administrator Roderico Bioco, in connection with the ongoing investigation on the controversial disposition of rice buffer stocks in a transaction allegedly disadvantageous to government.
Tiu-Laurel announced Santos’ designation as acting administrator during a zoom meeting with NFA employees, where he also urged over 2,000 workers of the agency to focus on their jobs and not be distracted by the ongoing Ombudsman investigation.
“The NFA is a very important government agency, especially during calamities and other disasters as well as in the lives of millions of poor Filipinos. We cannot lose heart during this challenging time for the NFA and DA family,” he said.
Santos is career service officer who has spent four decades with the NFA and is scheduled to retire in May.
