MANILA, Philippines - Isa pang kaso ng katiwalian ang isinampa laban kay Nueva Ecija Gov. Aurelio Umali sa Office of the Ombudsman.

Sa 11-pahinang reklamo ni Vice Governor Edward Thomas Joson sa Ombudsman, idinetalye nito ang umano’y “tongpats” sa pagbili ni Umali ng mahigit 230,000 school bags na nagkakahalaga ng halos P26 milyon noong 2009.

Ayon kay Joson, kaduda-duda ang proyektong pinasok ni Umali dahil dumoble ang presyo ng mga biniling bag para sa mga grade school at preparatory students.

CABANATUAN CITY NUEVA ECIJA, Philippines  – The province of Nueva Ecija, considered the country’s rice granary, is virtually untouched by the El Niño phenomenon despite being identified as one of the so-called vulnerable areas, with the Department of Agriculture expecting a bumper harvest this dry cropping season.

Roy Imperial, DA assistant regional director for Central Luzon, told The STAR that only 3,162 hectares of the 146,770 hectares planted to rice in Nueva Ecija have been affected by the drought. This is considered “negligible” compared to other provinces hit by the prolonged dry spell. He said this translates to a meager P28 million in El Niño-related damages compared to billions in lost income in other provinces.