DAVAO CITY (September 13) — In the midst of the midst of the rice crisis and his agency’s inability to cushion the impact of the market price, President Rodrigo Duterte fired Jason Aquino, the National Food Authority administrator.
Aquino has already took his leave of absence-he has been out of office since Thursday (September 13).
Informed NewsLine sources said, the President has asked Aquino to vacate the post.
Duterte on Tuesday in a conversation with Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said, “Jason Aquino has requested to be relieved already. He said that he is tired already tired. He cannot cope up [sic].”
“I will look for a new one,” Duterte added.
Members of the House and the Senate have been calling for the resignation of Aquino since the NFA rice shortage has caused the commercial rice prices to shoot up from P42 to P70 per kilo.
This developed as Duterte said he wants to abolish the NFA council, the policy making body composed of 11 government agencies.
The NFA Council is tasked to grants or denies the NFA’s request for rice importation, it is under the Office of the President.-Editha Z. Caduaya/NewsLine.ph
