Manila, Dec. 26 -- The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Friday clarified that the "insoluble and floating" fertilizer seen in a viral video from Marcos, Ilocos Norte resulted from improper application, not from poor product quality.

The clarification followed a validation and monitoring activity conducted by the DA Regional Field Office-Ilocos from Dec. 21 to 22 to investigate concerns raised online about the quality of government-distributed fertilizers.

In a statement, the DA allayed concerns over the integrity of government-procured inputs.

Based on the investigation, the fertilizer, which was designed for basal application, has been applied as a side-dress.

"This improper method-combined with windy conditions-caused the granules ...