|
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
GSP: Clavel fund issue ‘resolved, closed’
By Karen M. Flores and Jeanette P. Malinao with Karlon N. Rama
CEBU CITY -- For the Cebu Council of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines (GSP), the investigation on the financial assistance from the discretionary funds of Rep. Clavel Asas-Martinez is “closed” and the results an “internal” matter.
The Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas, though, will open a fact-finding inquiry on the alleged diversion of P26.5 million in public funds, about half of which was deposited in Martinez’s personal bank account.
Ombudsman Director Virginia Santiago said there is still no instruction from Deputy Ombudsman Primo Miro but “an unidentified party” submitted documents to the office.
“With this, we have no other choice but to conduct a fact-finding investigation on the matter and determine if there is basis for a formal investigation,” she told Sun.Star in an interview.
Martinez may have violated procedures when she placed millions of her discretionary funds in her personal account, but the bottom line is still whether the full amount was returned to the local government, and how the money was used.
This is according to a lawyer-auditor who works with the group at the Commission on Audit (COA) national office that’s handling the disbursement of congressional funds.
Basic rule
The source, who requested not to be named, said the basic rule is for government money to go to public accounts.
But if it would be established that the whole amount was returned to the local government unit that is the original recipient of the aid, “I don’t see any problem,” he said.
Gov. Pablo Garcia does not see it that way.
“The admission of Clavel Martinez that she deposited government money in her personal account is tantamount to admitting that she violated the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act,” Garcia said in a separate interview.
Garcia, whose daughter Gwendolyn is running against Martinez’s husband Celestino “Junie” Martinez Jr. in the gubernatorial race, agrees with the ombudsman’s move to investigate the congresswoman.
But GSP-Cebu president Paz Radaza yesterday said they have “resolved” all questions regarding the transactions that an ad hoc committee the council created said seems to lead to the pocketing of P25.9 million in public funds.
However, Radaza declined to say how they resolved the matter, saying this is all “internal.”
Hands-off rule
When sought for comment on the issue, Radaza said: “We do not want to open this up again because we don’t want to drag the name of the GSP. We have been so worried about this.”
She would not confirm the findings of the report that have been published so far “because we do not want to rock the boat.”
Asked about the relations of the members of the ad hoc committee with the rest of the council, Radaza said not everyone of the six-member committee is in good standing with them these days.
She declined to elaborate, however.
Radaza was then treasurer of GSP-Cebu Council when P26.5 million from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of Martinez (Cebu, 4th district) entered its bank account.
Martinez, for her part, was president. The congresswoman is now the council’s first vice president.
Also yesterday, two more of Martinez’s Cebuano colleagues in the House of Representatives agreed that releases from their discretionary funds should neither get to a legislator’s hands nor find its way to his private bank account, even if this is just “passing through.”
“Di gyud mi katandog sa pondo kay that’s strictly government funds,” said Rep. Antonio Cuenco (Cebu City, south district) in an interview over radio dyLA.
Bottom line
For her part, Rep. Nerissa Soon-Ruiz (Cebu, 6th district) said they do not even get to “hold” the check or money as their role is restricted to identifying projects and the implementing agency.
They agreed with Martinez, however, that it is the practice to course aid meant for a nongovernment organization through a local government unit as a conduit.
Reps. Antonio Yapha and Ace Durano earlier said that what Martinez did is not allowed.
During her news conference Monday, Martinez admitted that at one point, the third tranche amounting to P11.5 million was deposited to her private bank account but only to “expedite” the return of the amount from GSP-Cebu back to Bogo, which she said was the intended beneficiary of the amount.
She said the money was deposited there with the assurance that she would personally take care of bringing it back to Bogo.
GSP’s ad hoc committee also said in its report that Martinez was behind the withdrawal from the council’s accounts of the first two tranches of P7.5 million each.
Although the arrangement of placing the money in her personal account was just temporary, the COA official said that proper procedure was still broken.
“But if the full amount is still there, or if they can account where the money went, there’s no problem. It’s just a matter of accounting,” said the lawyer.
(April 28, 2004 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
|
|
|
[return to top]
[home]
|
|
Roco returns from medical trip