A leader of a farmers' group on Tuesday debunked the claim of an Agriculture official that the delay in the release of the fertilizer subsidy to farmers was the absence of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s signature on a document that would have facilitated its distribution.

In an interview with The Manila Times, Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) President Rosendo So said the delay was 'impossible' since the Department of Agriculture (DA) Region 2 (Cagayan Valley) even awarded the contract to a supplier who offered the highest bid of P2,350 per bag despite an offer of P2,140. So said the amount is about P200 million.