Two employees of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist of Negros Occidental were issued show cause orders for the disappearance of 789 bags of fertilizer, Provincial Legal Officer Alberto Nellas Jr. said Thursday, May 4.
Agriculturists 1 Joy Cardinal and Herminigildo Basilio, persons in-charge of the Rice Processing Center warehouse in Bago City, have been asked to explain the disappearance of the fertilizer estimated to cost P2,367,000.
“This is a notice to explain, this is not a formal charge so there is no preventive suspension order,” Nellas said.
The two were issued show cause orders because they were the personnel who received the fertilizer, certified that it was complete and are the ones who keep the key to the warehouse, he said.
The fertilizer was discovered missing when representatives of Cauayan were unable to withdraw the town’s share of the fertilizer in October last year because there was no more stock at the warehouse.
The show cause order was signed by Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz on April 18.
Cardinal received her show cause order on May 2 and Basilio got his on April 28, Nellas said.
The were given five days from receipt to submit their replies.
Three security personnel were not issued show cause orders as the persons in charge of safeguarding the contents of the warehouse were Cardinal and Basilio, Nellas said.
The security personnel were tasked with safeguarding the perimeter of the Rice Processing Center, he added.
Cardinal and Basilio had not replied to DIGICAST NEGROS’ messages asking for their side as of press time.*