Two capitol employees linked to ‘missing’ fertilizer suspended

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental provincial legal officer Atty. Alberto Nellas on Wednesday said that the two employees under the Provincial Agriculturist Office (PAO) who were linked to the missing 279 sacks of fertilizers were preventively suspended for 60 days.

Nellas told reporters here that the suspension took effect June 2, 2023 to pave way for the formal investigation of the case.

The two PAO employees are Hermigildo Basilio and Joy Cardinal.

Nellas said the suspension order was already served to Basilio who is a regular employee while Cardinal, who is a casual employee, is on sick leave.

The two, Nellas said, will be charged for grave misconduct, serious dishonesty and malversation.

He further said both workers may opt for a formal investigation or file their respective position papers.

The 789 sacks of fertilizer worth P2.3 million were discovered missing at the Rice Processing Center warehouse in Brgy. Tabunan, Bago City, Negros Occidental.

The sacks of fertilizer were given to the provincial government as a grant by the Department of Agriculture, for distribution to various local government units.

They were found missing when representatives of Cauayan town could not withdraw the town’s share of fertilizers in October 2022 because there were no more stocks at the warehouse.