Monday, September 15, 2008 Find those seedlings, Cuenco asks Cebu City agriculturist
REP. Antonio Cuenco (Cebu City, south) intends to pursue an inquiry into an “anomaly” he discovered in the implementation of his seedlings distribution program.
He is asking the Cebu City agriculturist to help trace where the seedlings went, especially since 10 north district barangays were reported to have also received the seedlings.
Cuenco said that while he does not see graft yet, he found some actions of the Guadalupe officials questionable.
Guadalupe Barangay Captain Eugenio Faelnar, however, is not bothered by Cuenco’s plan, saying he was always in touch with City Agriculturist Joelito Baclayon during the distribution of the seedlings of fruit-bearing trees.
In an interview, he said that Baclayon assisted him also in the yet-to-be-implemented goat dispersal project, whose funds Cuenco now wants returned to the Department of Agriculture.
Cuenco had complained that since Guadalupe, represented by Faelnar, entered into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the DA for the goat project in December 2005, it has not been implemented yet.
Guadalupe received around P15 million from the DA, for Cuenco’s seedlings distribution, goat dispersal and farm implements purchase projects.
The barangay managed to distribute seedlings and rubber hoses, but still has to have the goat project undergo a bidding.
Cuenco, though, now wants Quiot Barangay Captain Vicente Go to be the one to do it by creating a task force whose members will map out how to continue the goat dispersal program.
“Namunga na unta? Asa na man na? Ato ng ipasubay sa city agriculturist kung hain na (Let’s have the city agriculturist find out where those seedlings are),” he said.
In a separate interview, Faelnar said that while it may be true that north district barangays also received seedlings, Cuenco should not begrudge the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) for the distribution.
Faelnar tapped the ABC, where he is also the president, for the seedlings distribution and even used ABC vehicles in delivering these to the mountain barangays.
“Nganong dili man tagaan ang taga north district nga nagkinahanglan sad og kahoy? Ako na pud nang gipangutana sa DA nga atong tagaan ang north district. Part man sad na sa Cebu City. Wa man na gibutang didto sa National Government nga o imong pork barrel sa south ra gyud ha (Why shouldn’t we give seedlings to the north district barangays that need them? Did the National Government tell him to limit his pork barrel to the south district?),” he told Sun.Star.
According to a Commission Audit report, P6.493 million paid for 40 rolls of garden hoses (P245,000) and 31,666 seedlings of mango, rambutan, durian, lanzones trees (P6.248 million). Cuenco distributed copies of the audit report in a press conference last Saturday. (RHM)
