MAYNILA - Umaabot sa 104 na mambabatas, 49 na gobernador at 25 alkalde ang nakinabang sa kontrobersyal na P728 milyong fertilizer fund na pinaniniwalaang nabahiran ng anomalya at ngayo’y kinaiipitan ni dating Agriculture Undersec. Jocelyn ‘JocJoc’ Bolante.
Ito ang nilalaman ng dokumentong napasakamay ng Abante kung saan malinaw na nakatala ang pangalan ng mga senador, kongresista at mga local executives na nag-request ng pondo at ang mga aktuwal na nabigyan ng pondo.
Sa hanay ng mga mambabatas, isa ang senador sa katauhan ni Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri sa nabahaginan ng P5 milyon mula sa fertilizer fund ng Department of Agriculture (DA). Nakaupo siyang kongresista noon bilang kinatawan ng Bukidnon.
Samantalang si Sen. Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino III na noo’y kinatawan ng Tarlac sa Kamara at naunang nagsumite ng fund request ay nabura sa pinal na listahan ng DA na naaprubahang mabigyan ng abono fund.
Maliban kay Zubiri, tumanggap din ng P5 milyon at P3 milyon, ayon sa pagkakasunod, ang dalawang House Speakers na sina Reps. Jose De Venecia Jr. at Prospero Nograles, anang dokumentong isinumite ng Commission on Audit (COA) sa Senado at nakapaloob din sa committee report ni ex-Sen. Ramon Magsaysay Jr., ang chairman ng Senate committee on agriculture ng nakaraang Kongreso.
Ilan din sa mga kongresistang tumanggap ng abono fund ay nakapuwesto na ngayon sa gabinete ni Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo tulad nina Education Sec. Jesli Lapus (P3 milyon), Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan (P5 milyon), Tourism Sec. Joseph Durano (P5 milyon) at Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) chief Prospero Pichay Jr. (P5 milyon).
Tumanggap din ng tig-P3 milyon mula sa fertilizer fund ng DA ang asawa ni resigned presidential legal counsel Sergio Apostol na si Leyte Rep. Trinidad Apostol, anak ni Executive Sec. Eduardo Ermita na si Batangas Rep. Elenita Ermita-Buhain at ama ni Finance Sec. Margarito Teves na si dating Negros Rep. Herminio Teves.
Ang magkapatid na Rep. Ace Barbers at dating Surigao Gov. Lyndon Barbers ay tumanggap ng kabuuang P10 milyon (tig-P5 milyon) samantalang P3 milyon naman ang nakuha ni Iloilo Rep. Arthur Defensor, pinsan ni Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago at tiyuhin ni dating presidential chief of staff Mike Defensor. Nabura naman sa ‘actual recipients list’ si ex-Congw. Maite Defensor.
Kapuna-puna rin ang pagtanggap ng abono fund ng mga kaalyadong mambabatas ng administrasyon sa mga lungsod at munisipalidad ng Metro Manila kahit malinaw na walang lupang sakahan sa kanilang nasasakupan. Sina Quezon City Rep. Nanette Castelo-Daza at Malabon/Navotas ex-Rep. Ricky Sandoval ay tumanggap ng tig-P3 milyon samantalang P5 milyon naman ang na-release kay Parañaque City Rep. Eduardo Zialcita.
Sa buong listahan ay si Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentebella, kilalang malapit sa First Couple, ang tumanggap ng pinakamalaking fertilizer fund sa halagang P8 milyon.
Kaugnay nito, tila nakikipagpustahan naman si Makati Rep. Teddy Boy Locsin na walang sinuman sa mga nadadawit na kongresista at local official ang aamin na tumanggap sila ng fertilizer fund. Nakikini-kinita na ng solon na bawat isa ay magsasabing hindi nila natanggap o kinuha ang naturang pondo at tulad umano ng iba pang eskandalo sa pera ng taumbayan, posibleng sa huli ay mauwi rin sa wala ang imbestigasyon, pangamba ni Locsin. (Bernard Taguinod / Abante)
Showing posts with label Fertilizer Scam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fertilizer Scam. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
US deports controversial ex-Arroyo official in fertilizer scam allegations
MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 29, 2008) – Former Philippine Agriculture deputy chief Jocelyn Bolante, who was jailed for almost two years in the United States for immigration violations, arrived in Manila and was rushed to hospital after complaining of chest pains.
Bolante, who arrived late Tuesday onboard the Northwest Airlines Flight 71, is being guarded at the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City. Bolante is being accused of channeling more than P728 million in fertilizer fund to the President Gloria Arroyo’s election campaign in 2004.
He fled to the US before the Philippine Senate could begin to investigate the allegations, one of many corruption scandals that rocked the Arroyo administration. The Senate ordered his arrest in 2005.
The US immigration authorities did not report any medical conditions about Bolante before he was deported, but critics of the former government official accused him of trying to “buy time” to evade the Senate investigation.
Bolante, who previously claimed his life was under threat in the Philippines, had sought political asylum in the US, but this was rejected. Bolante denied all the charges against him.
Previous government officials involved in corruption scandals had also in the past suddenly fell sick, especially each time they face Senate investigations and would spend weeks in hospital to avoid the probe. Some ignored the Senate investigations by invoking a Presidential order banning them to speak about corruption allegations involving Arroyo.
Many Filipinos looked at Arroyo, herself accused of many corruption scandals by the opposition, as the worst president after the dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Arroyo, who grabbed power in 2001 in a bloodless coup that toppled President Joseph Estrada, denied all accusations against her. (Mindanao Examiner)
Bolante, who arrived late Tuesday onboard the Northwest Airlines Flight 71, is being guarded at the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City. Bolante is being accused of channeling more than P728 million in fertilizer fund to the President Gloria Arroyo’s election campaign in 2004.
He fled to the US before the Philippine Senate could begin to investigate the allegations, one of many corruption scandals that rocked the Arroyo administration. The Senate ordered his arrest in 2005.
The US immigration authorities did not report any medical conditions about Bolante before he was deported, but critics of the former government official accused him of trying to “buy time” to evade the Senate investigation.
Bolante, who previously claimed his life was under threat in the Philippines, had sought political asylum in the US, but this was rejected. Bolante denied all the charges against him.
Previous government officials involved in corruption scandals had also in the past suddenly fell sick, especially each time they face Senate investigations and would spend weeks in hospital to avoid the probe. Some ignored the Senate investigations by invoking a Presidential order banning them to speak about corruption allegations involving Arroyo.
Many Filipinos looked at Arroyo, herself accused of many corruption scandals by the opposition, as the worst president after the dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Arroyo, who grabbed power in 2001 in a bloodless coup that toppled President Joseph Estrada, denied all accusations against her. (Mindanao Examiner)
Monday, September 15, 2008
Another Scandal Rocks Arroyo Govt
MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 15, 2008) – Scandals after scandals, the Arroyo administration is once more entangled in another anomaly, this time involving millions of pesos in farm subsidies and rice programs for farmers, reports said Monday.
The Commission on Audit has uncovered alleged fake signatures on the list of beneficiaries of the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) program of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
It said more than 100 recipients of the P218 million expenditure of the Department of Agriculture said they received little or not farm subsidies at all for hybrid rice, farm inputs, fertilizers and seeds in Luzon and Visayas.
Several lawmakers have already called for an investigation of the GMA program.
The Department of Agriculture in the past had been dragged into the controversial fertilizer program after one of its deputy secretaries Jocelyn Bolante allegedly diverted more than P700 million to Arroyo's election campaign.
Bolante escaped the Philippines and fled to the United States after the opposition uncovered the anomaly. He was arrested in the US after the Philippine Senate canceled his visa. Arroyo, who was implicated also by the opposition to poll fraud in 2004, denied any involvement in the scandals.
Last week, noted lawyer Harry Roque Roque said he uncovered a controversial $1-billion mining deal between the Arroyo government and China’s ZTE Corporation in Mt. Diwalwal. Government spokesmen insisted the deal did not push through.
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