(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte has named a career official of the National Food Authority as a member of the NFA council and the new NFA administrator, replacing Jason Aquino who had been earlier relieved from office by the Office of the Ombudsman.
The President signed the appointment papers of Judy Carol Dansal on June 11. She previously served as the NFA deputy administrator for marketing operations.
Dansal’s appointment comes in the midst of the implementation of the Rice Tariffication Law or Republic Act 11203 which liberalizes the importation, exportation, and trading of rice.
The law also lifted the quantitative import restriction on rice.
With this law, the NFA’s importation and licensing function has been repealed, and its functions have been limited to buffer stocking.
Dansal will also serve the unexpired term of office of the former NFA administrator Aquino as member of NFA Council that will also end this month.
The Ombudsman, in April, found Aquino guilty of administrative charges of grave misconduct over the alleged smuggling of about P34.68 million worth of Vietnamese rice.
Duterte said that Aquino himself requested to be relieved from his post saying he could “not cope up with the dynamics” within the NFA.
