BY REGINA BENGCO

PRESIDENT Arroyo yesterday went to the Department of Justice offices for the second time this week, to prod prosecutors to file criminal cases against officials of the National Food Authority said to have diverted cheap NFA rice to the commercial market.

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said government will now focus more on the diversion aspect.

NBI director Nestor Mantaring said the number one priority is now on diversion because hoarders will just sell their stash if authorities put the squeeze on them. "Pag lean months, wala na tayong bigas," he said.

Mantaring said the NBI is now monitoring warehouses and NFA trucks in line with the new policy. He said diversion is punishable with two to four years imprisonment under the National Grains Authority Act.

Arroyo witnessed the submission of the counter affidavits of the alleged rice hoarders before Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuño.

The Anti-Hoarding Task Force has charged 33 persons involved in 23 cases in the last two months. Fourteen of them have been charged with diversion of NFA rice.

The DOJ Task Force, which is headed by Senior State Prosecutor Robert Lao, also filed cases against six rice traders from Shariff Kabunsuan province. Charged were Bainot Mokamad, Sarib Mariga, Dima Ali, Melanie Limbotungan, Fatima Talib, and Naguib Mokamad.

The task force also conducted inspections in Cotabato and are readying charges against several rice traders.

Gonzalez said after the submission of the counter-affidavits, the panel would have to resolve the cases based on the complaint. He said resolutions can be completed before the end of the week and cases filed in court by next week.

During her visit to the DOJ, the second this week and the third in two weeks, Arroyo was irked when she found out that only administrative cases would be filed against the NFA officials who were involved in the diversion, and that the endorsement from the agriculture department was only received earlier that morning.

When the records could not be produced, the President hinted that she wanted to go to the records section.

"That's why we created a task force para hindi na nagtuturuan," she kept reminding justice and agriculture officials.

When prosecutor Lao said the records could be with his office and went out to check, Arroyo said: "Maybe we should go to his office and look for it, help him look for it. Saan ba ang office niya?"

Lao returned immediately, but when he said that the recommendation is only for an administrative complaint, Arroyo told NFA administrator Jessup Navarro: "When are you going to work on it? I'll watch you work on it. Where can you work on it? Do you have a working area where you can work on it? We can let the media go so we can work on it."

JUST OBSERVING

Arroyo told the media that she was "just observing to make sure that things go fast."

The officials told her they would prepare the endorsement for a criminal complaint, and Arroyo told them she wanted the endorsement at that moment.

The media were told to leave, and allowed back in two minutes later.

Gonzalez said the President just wanted to check what the DOJ had been doing and to see to it that "matters are being done in accordance with her instruction without sacrificing due process."

Asked whether she is satisfied with the way the cases are being handled, Arroyo said: "Raul Gonzalez answers all questions."

But she was quick to add: "I think the NBI has done a good job of sleuthing. I bear hard on you but you're dong a good job of sleuthing. The prosecution, we will see how good they are when it goes to court. That would be the best judge of how good they are."

When Gonzalez told her that his prosecutors get nervous when she is around, she told the media the government prosecutors are good.

"Normally my instinct would be to go there and look over his (Lao's) shoulder but he's a good prosecutor so let him do his job. He has a track record. Di ba nananalo naman siya sa mga kaso niya?" she said.

When Lao returned, she said: "There he is. I just praised you, Prosecutor."

She then told reporters that the files of the NFA officials are being turned over to the NBI so that they can put it in proper form for filing a criminal case.

Satisfied for the meantime, she then left the DOJ compound, to everyone's relief.