Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) head Dr. Dionisio G. Alvindia vowed to initiate more changes at the agency in a bid to stop corruption and improve public service delivery.
Alvindia made the remarks to defend his move to reshuffle the eight PhilMech personnel who were under investigation for alleged links to illegal activities inside the agency.
The PhilMech official, who is reportedly under attack by disgruntled officials and personnel, vowed to be more transparent in dealing with multi-billion projects intended for Filipino farmers.
At least eight PhilMech personnel were removed from their posts and were reassigned to other areas to prevent them from influencing the outcome of the investigations being conducted by the agency.
Alvindia also defended the designation of new officials who are highly qualified and competent to the positions of Deputy Director and Division chiefs since all of them were PHilMech employees and holding better qualifications and educational attainment, contrary to allegations that they were outsiders and non-PHilMech personnel that lack experience in the field of agriculture.
The PhilMech chief said he was saddened by a group “PhilMech Retirees” who were riding with the issue inside the agency in joining the affected personnel in spreading false accusations to remove him from his current position.
The group alleged that the new appointees were outsiders and non-PhilMech personnel that lack experience in the field of agriculture.
Alvindia, who assumed office last March 2022, asserted that laws will be strictly followed in the procurement of machineries’ and equipment under the RCEF mechanization program and coco levy fund, and vowed to cleanse the agency of corrupt and incompetent personnel.
The PHilMech Director assured the government of the agency’s faithful adherence to the ideals and vision of the RCEF-Mechanization Program and to the requisite norms of honesty and integrity in the conduct of its transactions under the programs and projects of the agency.
He said the eight PhilMech officials who were replaced from their posts have pending administrative cases at PhilMech that may deliberately cause the delay in the implementation of projects that were supposed to benefit millions of Filipino farmers in the country.
“Four of the replaced PhilMech officers were linked to the tractor case, and are now under preventive suspension to avoid them from interfering in the ongoing investigation against them,” Alvindia said.
He said the four other affected PhilMech officials were likewise under probe for allegedly delaying the process in the implementation of various projects being undertaken by the agency. Vito Barcelo