The National Food Authority (NFA) will file a plunder case before the Office of the Ombudsman against a “middle-level” official over unexplained loss of rice stocks since 2020, amounting to more than ₱50 million.

NFA Administrator Larry Lacson said the agency is still building up the case, but the filing is likely within the year.

Without identifying the person, Lacson hinted that the official is a warehouse supervisor as the issue involves the handing of buffer stocks of both milled and unmilled rice.

“You need to be the accountable officer. You need to know what your stocks are. If there’s an audit and there’s a shortage, you have to explain. So it appears he can’t explain,” said Lacson in a press briefing on Friday, Nov. 14.

Based on an internal audit, NFA discovered that some of the buffer stocks under the official’s management have been lost over the years, starting in 2020.

While he did not disclose the quantity of the stocks lost, the estimated losses are around ₱53 million.

Lacson said the official is still active and has not been suspended yet since the plunder case has not been filed yet.

As a temporary measure, he said the individual has been transferred to another office where they have no accountability nor influence.

Lacson added that NFA will look into potential accomplices of the person, such as other employees, traders, and even past officials of the agency.

“He’s the only one we’re still investigating now. If during the course of the [probe], we see that other people are responsible, then they will be included [in the plunder case],” he said.

As defined under law, a plunder case is filed against a public officer who acquires ill-gotten wealth with a total value of at least ₱50 million.

The penalty for plunder is life imprisonment and forfeiture of ill-gotten wealth amassed by the offender.

“My warning ever since I assumed office in the [NFA last year was] to improve the work, don’t do illegal or fraud because eventually, you’ll be caught. We will not hesitate in filing the appropriate charges if needed,” said Lacson.

Since March last year, he said the agency already filed 35 administrative cases, issued 99 show-cause orders, and slapped 28 employees with preventive suspension.

In a related development, the administrator said NFA’s buffer stocks currently stand at 460,000 metric tons (MT), enough to cover 12.03 days of national consumption.

NFA is targeting to carry as much as 900,000 MT of palay (unmilled rice) next year to comply with the law-mandated 15-day buffer stocks.

NFA’s stocks, which are sourced from local farmers, supports the government’s emergency relief efforts.