‘Spare the innocent’: DA-Western Visayas asks NegOcc gov’t to replace missing fertilizers

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – The Department of Agriculture (DA) in Western Visays asked the provincial government of Negros Occidental to replace the 789 sacks of fertilizer that went missing.

DA-6 OIC regional executive director Jose Alberto Barrogo told reporters here that he has written Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson on the matter after several local government units (LGUs) here also wrote the agency regarding their fertilizer allocation.

The fertilizer is for distribution to High Value Crop farmers who were affected by typhoon Odette.

Barrogo said the LGUs that are asking for their fertilizer shares are Cadiz City, Kabankalan Bago City, and Cauayan.

The sacks of fertilizer were discovered missing when the town of Cauayan tried to claim its allocation in October 2022 only to find out that the bodega is empty.

The 789 bags of fertilizer were stored in a provincial government-owned warehouse in Barangay Tabunan, Bago City.

Lawyer Alberto Nellas Jr., provincial legal officer (PLO),  said the missing sacks of fertilizer worth P2.36 million were given by the Department of Agriculture.

Nellas told reporters that they recommended the non-renewal of the job contract of Joy Cardinal, whose term as a casual employee will end June 30, because of the missing fertilizer.

Cardinal and the other Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) employee, Hermenigildo Basilio, were placed under 60-day preventive suspension, and are both facing charges for grave misconduct, serious dishonesty, and malversation of public funds, over the missing 789 bags of fertilizers.

Barrogo said he is going to discuss with the incoming regional executive director the action taken by the provincial government against the two OPA personnel.

“Actually we have given that issue to our legal department, and we may take further legal action,” he said.

But Barrogo pointed out that what the provincial government did was only to show that it took action on the matter.

But he hopes that those at fault should be made accountable.

“But tani i-see to it man nga  ang appropriate man nga mga tawo ang mga desisyonan indi ang mga inosente man nga nga tawo ang ma penaltihan sina nga mga cases,” he further said.