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Monday, April 26, 2004
Clavel: Can explain why funds got to me
By Karen M. Flores
CEBU CITY -- A committee of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines (GSP) investigated last year the alleged pocketing of close to P26 million in public funds by one of its officers, Rep. Clavel Asas-Martinez.
Despite the "seriousness" of the findings, the GSP-Cebu Council merely "noted" the ad hoc committee's report and its recommendations.
Martinez (Cebu, 4th district) said this was because there was little to go on from the report, which details how she allegedly used GSP as a conduit so she could claim for herself three releases from her Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) totaling P26 million.
Martinez, who is currently GSP-Cebu's first vice president, insisted Sunday that she is innocent and that the leaking of the ad hoc committee report is politically motivated.
Again, she and her political family are blaming Gov. Pablo Garcia and his political family.
Her husband, Celestino Martinez Jr., is running against Gwen Garcia, the governor's daughter, in the race for the top Capitol post. She is also seeking reelection to the House.
At least three copies of the GSP-Cebu Council report reached the Sun.Star central newsroom last Saturday but the paper withheld the story until the document could be verified. The report was only a photocopy and not authenticated.
Clavel Martinez is flying home to Cebu from Manila Monday to hold a news conference.
Needing explanation is why from the Bogo Municipal Government, then to GSP-Cebu Council, the money had to go to the congresswoman's personal bank account.
Aside from the route of the funds, the question of conflict of interest may be raised about the grant and handling of the pork barrel.
Clavel is GSP-Cebu's first vice president and her daughter is GSP-Cebu treasurer, while son Tining is mayor of Bogo.
3 transactions
The congresswoman said she has documents to answer the report. The report includes a flowchart on how the P26 million released in three tranches was first given to the Bogo Municipal Government, where her son Tining is mayor, before it found its way to GSP's bank account, and finally Martinez's personal bank account.
In return for the use of GSP's name in the three transactions made between June 2002 and October 2003, she donated P600,000 or about two percent of the entire amount, the committee report alleged.
It recommended that the Cebu council's legal committee start an administrative investigation on the matter, but Martinez said she was never summoned to such, as the local council chose not to act on this recommendation.
The report also said the local council should consider bringing up the matter to the GSP national council because of the "legal and national level implications" of the committee's findings.
Martinez said that again, the local council did not act on this.
Money flow
According to the flowchart attached to the report, the first transaction was on June 13, 2002, while Martinez was still president of the local council, when the municipal treasurer of Bogo issued a check for P7.5 million to the GSP-Cebu.
This was deposited to the council's trust fund with the Land Bank of Philippines in Banilad, Cebu City.
A day after this was deposited, it was withdrawn and the check made out for this transaction was allegedly received by the congresswoman. Shortly after this, she made a donation for P400,000 to the GSP.
The second tranche for P7.5 million from Bogo to GSP-Cebu apparently followed the same route in September 2002. This time, Martinez supposedly donated P200,000.
Diligence
In both times, the transactions were covered by neither authority from the council nor a resolution.
The check for the third tranche, involving P11.5 million, was issued by Bogo still.
However, instead of being deposited straight to GSP's account, Martinez allegedly brought this back to Land Bank in Bogo, so it could be changed into a manager's check made out to Ma. Cielo Martinez, the congresswoman's daughter.
When the bank called the council office in Cebu City to ask for a resolution backing the transaction, the officers were apparently alerted to the movement of their funds for the first time.
The committee also called the attention of the banks involved in the transactions, for not exercising "due diligence" by first consulting the organization.
(April 26, 2004 issue)
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