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Friday, November 18, 2005
Nothing irregular in release of farm input funds: ex-budget chief
FORMER budget secretary Emilia Boncodin confirmed Thursday the release of P728 million to the Department of Agriculture (DA) for the purchase of farm inputs, including fertilizers and insecticides.
During a hearing of the Senate committee on agriculture on the alleged misuse of the fund, Boncodin said she released the fund on Feb. 3, 2004 upon the request of the DA and "she finds nothing irregular in it." She said it is the duty of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to release a fund to any agency, whether it is election period or not.
She said although the nature of the fund was not specified in the request signed by former DA undersecretary Jocelyn Bolante, she did not question it because it was the discretion of the agriculture department as to how it would utilize the money.
Boncodin also said if there is truth to the allegations that the fund was misused, the DA should answer the allegations. But she said with the way the Senate inquiry is going on, it appears that the money was not utilized for its intended purpose.
That is why, Boncodin said, there is a need for the Senate to pursue its investigation as to whether President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo indeed used the money in her campaign for the presidential post last year.
Various sectors revealed that the P728 million agricultural funds were released to politicians close to President Arroyo so that they could use the money to advance the President's reelection bid.
Former solicitor general Frank Chavez, who also attended the hearing, said he had documents showing that the funds were given out to 105 congressmen, 53 governors and 25 mayors in exchange for their support to President Arroyo's candidacy.
He however was not sure whether the local officials in his list accepted or received the funds. He said local officials may have been named as proponents but they did not receive anything.
Former education secretary Florencio Abad, who is among the recipients of the fund in Chavez's list, denied receiving any amount saying he did not even ask for it for the province of Batanes, which he used to represent in Congress.
Abad and Boncodin were among the 10 Cabinet secretaries who resigned last July 8 and called for the immediate resignation of President Arroyo. The two other former allies of the President -- former social welfare secretary Corazon Soliman and former presidential adviser on the peace process Corazon Velez - appeared but did not participate in the hearing.
Danilo Ramos, secretary general of the Kilusang Magbubukid sa Pilipinas (KMP), and five other farmers' group leaders also testified in the Senate hearing.
Ramos said it is clear that had the DBM secretary released the amount for the farmers yet they did not receive anything and that the money went to wrong recipients. He added that they now believe allegations that President Arroyo utilized the money in her electoral campaign.
Antonio Salas, provincial treasurer of Eastern Samar, said the DA allotted P6.5 million funds for the purchase of fertilizers for the province before the May 2004 elections but no fertilizers were delivered to the Provincial Government.
Salas said he has papers showing that Eastern Samar Representative Marcelino Libanan and Governor Clotilde Salazar accepted the amount. Libanan and Salazar were unavailable for comment. (JFF/Sunnex)
(November 18, 2005 issue)
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