Why NFAEA played blind to irregularities in NFA

The rejoinders of NFAEA’s (NFA Employees Association) national president Roman Sanchez and its 30 members did not answer head-on Inquirer’s May 20 editorial (“Where were they?”). They narrated what NFAEA or some of its members did between 2001 and 2010, during which the National Food Authority (NFA) incurred P100 billion in losses. But it said nothing about what they did to stop the repeated betrayal of public trust by NFA executives and their minions because they benefited from the anomalies.

NFAEA then could hold its quarterly national conference anywhere in the Philippines; its officers could neglect their official duties and functions, yet receive Very Satisfactory ratings and other privileges. NFA management even supported their overstaying in office to ensure that NFAEA remained under its control. For example, a member of the NFAEA national board does not wear his office uniform, trotting around as an NBI agent assisting the regional director on “official business,” even when they just play tennis during office hours.

I say from experience that NFAEA is pro-management. I have been its vocal critic, exposing glaring abuses committed by NFA officials in Mati City, Davao Oriental since 2006. Our NFAEA chapter president has chosen to be silent about them. So did past NFA management. Because of the NFAEA’s closeness to NFA management, the latter can abuse their authority and discretion. For example, during the inauguration of the new public market in Mati on June 19, 2008, an NFAEA board member went around the poblacion and public market, requesting all rice retailers to make it appear to then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo that the price of commercial rice had gone down to P38. Right after GMA left, they displayed back the real price tag—P48.

One NFA official claims his transportation allowance for the personal use of his service vehicle. Employees under the protection of NFAEA are not punished—e.g., one embezzled his sales collection; another repeatedly stole fuel from an NFA truck; and still another had the palay he bought for NFA milled and pocketed its proceeds. The investigations only whitewashed these cases. And for these exposés and many others, NFA management and NFAEA have joined hands in harassing me—they have accused me of sexual harassment and libel on false grounds.

—ARTURO P. BORDAS,

registration and licensing officer,

NFA Mati City, Davao Oriental;

[email protected]