Pres. Aquino to meet with Sec. Pangilinan over NFA chief’s resignation

Sec. Kiko Pangilinan (black shirt) and former NFA Chairman Arthur Juan (Photo courtesy of Sec. Pangilinan’s Facebook fan page)

MANILA — President Benigno S. Aquino III is slated to meet with Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization Secretary Francis Pangilinan to discuss the resignation of National Food Authority (NFA) Administrator Arthur Juan, a Palace official has said.

“Ina-arrange na po ng Private Office ‘yung pagkakasunud-sunod ng mga magiging pulong at pag-uusap ng Pangulong Aquino. I think that also includes the meeting that the President will have with Secretary Pangilinan on the resignation that was tendered by Arthur Juan of the NFA,” Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a radio interview with dzRB Radyo ng Bayan on Saturday.

Juan tendered his irrevocable resignation on Thursday amid extortion accusations made by a rice trader.

Pangilinan, said Juan, 68, cited poor health as the main reason for his resignation.

Juan, former president of San Miguel Foods Inc. and former head of Monterey Foods Corp., has been in office for only three months.

He and his assistant, lawyer Patricia Galang, have been accused by rice trader Jomerito Soliman of extorting P15 million from him after his warehouse in Bulacan was raided and padlocked upon the discovery that imported Thai rice was being mixed with animal feed and sold as “sinandomeng” rice.

Secretary Pangilinan has said that he and the President would meet to discuss the next steps to take following Juan’s resignation.