Guv asks 2 OPA staff to name person behind missing fertilizer

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said the two personnel of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) who were linked to the missing fertilizer should name who ordered the release of the stocks.

Lacson issued the statement when asked for his reaction to claims that the two OPA workers are just ordinary employees, and that the release of fertilizers is not possible without orders from their superiors.

“They have to say it… they have to admit that somebody told them to do it,” the governor said.

He pointed out that “in the absence of that, based on hard evidence, it’s really their signatures that appeared in the receiving form.”

“They are given all the opportunity to defend themselves. But as of now, they are just admitting that they indeed signed it,” he added.

The governor further said that if somebody ordered the release, “in fact, I wanted that the personalities involved should also be investigated.”

Lacson admitted that there is no record of who ordered the release of the fertilizers, although their entry to the warehouse was recorded in the logbook.

He also raised the possibility that the resignation of Provincial Agriculturist Edmundo Causing may have been caused by the missing 789 bags of fertilizer intended for distribution to farmers affected by Typhoon Odette.

“The case has really affected him also when he found out there were missing fertilizers,” the governor said.

Causing will resign his post effective August 1, 2023, citing health reasons.

Dina Gensola has been designated as OPA officer-in-charge.

Lacson admitted that Causing has a heart ailment.

He said he was warned about the performance of OPA, but Causing wanted to give it a try and help the provincial government.

Causing, however, admitted later that there is great stress as OPA head, the governor said.

Meanwhile, Lacson said the provincial government is now sourcing out funds for its own fertilizer program, with local government units that did not receive the fertilizers from the Department of Agriculture being prioritized for the distribution.

This was the answer of Lacson to the request of DA Western Visayas for the provincial government of Negros Occidental to replace the 789 sacks of fertilizers, valued at P2.3 million, which were reported missing from the Capitol warehouse in Brgy, Tabunan, Bacolod City.

The missing fertilizer was part of the 4,000 bags allocated by the DA for farmers affected by Typhoon Odette in Negros Occidental.