Groups welcome fertilizer scam probe

Department of Agriculture.
Department of Agriculture.

MABALACAT CITY -- The National Federation of Peasant Women (Amihan) and rice watch group Bantay Bigas welcomed House Resolution 992 filed by the Makabayan bloc urging the committees on Agriculture and Food and Good Government and Public Accountability to investigate the alleged overpriced fertilizers by the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Amihan national chairperson Zenaida Soriano cited the urgency for an investigation to DA’s distribution of fertilizers as well as the procurement process for the remaining fertilizers.

"Everyone involved should be held accountable for having the guts to steal public funds while millions of Filipinos are suffering from the impact of the pandemic,” she said.

Farmers group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) earlier claimed that the total contract for the P1.8-billion fertilizer may be overpriced by at least P271.66 million as the prevailing average price of urea is pegged at P850 per bag.

“This amount could have procured additional 319,600 bags of fertilizers which could have benefitted additional 159,800 farmers,” Soriano said.

The Department of Agriculture should cooperate on the investigations to be held in Congress and Senate and reveal all necessary information to get to the bottom of this mess, she added.

“Hinihikayat namin ang mga magsasaka at ang publiko na maging mapagmatyag kung paano ginagamit ng gobyerno ang bilyon-bilyong pondo para sa mga programa bilang tugon sa Covid-19 upang labanan ang korapsyon at matiyak na mapapakinabangan ito ng mamamayang Pilipino," Soriano said.Soriano said.

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