Sunday, September 14, 2008 Cuenco asks DA to get balance of goat dispersal fund from Guadalupe
REP. Antonio Cuenco gave the Department of Agriculture (DA) 7 until Sept. 23 to get a full accounting from Barangay Guadalupe and get back whatever is left of the P15 million intended for goats, seedlings and farm implements for south district barangays.
If Guadalupe officials cannot comply, he said, he will be forced to file administrative and criminal charges, which may include DA officials if necessary.
The Cebu City south district congressman also denied he had no projects in the south district. Since 2001, he has poured around P292.118 million from his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to his district, he said.
The biggest chunk of P98.489 million, he said, went to Barangay Guadalupe.
But Barangay Captain Eugenio Faelnar said that if there were problems in the purchase of the seedlings, these were by the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) and not caused by anything he did or failed to do.
He said it would not take the barangay 15 days to return the remaining amount.
Cuenco said that of the P15 million, P14.793 million was actually received by the barangay after the DA deducted some required fees.
He estimated that since P6.493 million paid for 40 rolls of garden hoses (P245,000) and 31,666 mango, rambutan, durian and lanzones seedlings (P6.248 million), Guadalupe should return around P8.3 million.
Cuenco also presented in a press conference yesterday at least 20 barangay captains who corroborated his claim.
Tisa Barangay Captain Eddie Cabulao said that Cuenco made possible the construction of four sports complexes in his turf. Tisa received a total of P25 million sourced from Cuenco’s PDAF, he said.
Buhisan’s Rustica Asid said they received the seedlings and distributed these to farmers, and constructed a goat house as instructed.
Other barangay captains said the goat houses they built have already become rickety due to disuse because the goats were not yet distributed.
During the press conference, Cuenco also reminded the Commission on Audit (COA) of his May 18 request for the agency to audit how Guadalupe used P6.49 million set aside for hybrid seedlings.
All 20 barangay captains who attended the press conference admitted receiving and distributing the seedlings to constituents.
But Cuenco said the COA noted several irregularities in the purchase and distribution, which made him “smell a rat” that prompted him to write the letter.
Among the observations the COA noted was Barangay Guadalupe’s failure to advertise and post the invitation to bid. The number of seedlings in the purchase order also did not match that stated in the purchase request.
Cuenco said the COA has not yet responded to the May 18 letter and the succeeding follow-up communications.
He wanted the DA, though, to act on his Sept. 8 letter and comply with his request within 15 days.
“I will expect the DA to discharge its obligations as set forth in Part A of the memorandum of agreement (MOA), cancel the MOA immediately, and submit a report on the action it has taken within 15 calendar days from (the Sept. 8) receipt of this letter,” he said in his two-page communication to DA 7 Diretor Ricardo Oblena.
“I will be constrained to initiate the filing of criminal and administrative complaints against all officials who may be found responsible for misappropriation of the funds intended for the livelihood projects for my district,” he added.
Cuenco also said that if warranted, he might even include DA officials who could have prevented the anomalies in the purchase of the seedlings.
Faelnar earlier said that while they were able to distribute the seedlings and hoses to the mountain barangays, it took them some time to arrange the bidding of the goat dispersal project.
He said they made it sure all the papers were in order.
Cuenco said that he made Guadalupe the conduit of the project after then DA 7 director Eduardo Lecciones Jr. told him in December 2005 that P15 million of his PDAF was not yet obligated and could revert to the National Government’s general fund.
It prompted them to choose Guadalupe, which entered into a MOA with the DA 7 on Dec. 29, 2005 for the goat dispersal, seedlings distribution and purchase of farm equipment like rubber hoses for use during the dry spell.
Cuenco yesterday said he tasked Quiot Barangay Captain Vicente Ramos to form a task force that will discuss how to implement the goat dispersal project. (RHM)
