Was it a scam or a legitimate disbursement of Department of Agriculture funds intended for beneficiaries numbering 105 lawmakers, 53 governors and 53 mayors? If the entire Filipino nation listened to the testimony of former Undersecretary Jocelyn “Jocjoc” Bolante, suspected architect of the P728 million fertilizer fund scam during Friday’s Senate hearing, chances were they would be carried away by his poker-faced expression of straightforward answers. For two years, media and to a large extent aided with alarming regularity by some senators, parroted the line that there was this so-called fertilizer scam pulled off from under the feet of the Filipino people to “fertilize” the votes of Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s election bid in 2004.
Until Bolante showed up Friday after serving two years in prison in the United States for a failed asylum application. When Bolante’s “two minutes of fame” came before the Senate inquisition amid the cruel glare of nationwide TV, the chief executioner of the fertilizer mess appeared unmolested putting in doubt the perception game of a guilty verdict. But the damage has been done already to Bolante’s list of beneficiaries as to who’s who and who got how much.
IN BOHOL
Governor Erico Aumentado who was listed as among the 53 governors who received P5M in fertilizer funds denied to high heavens that he did receive such amount.
He claimed his innocence before a usual mammoth crowd of radio listeners who are regularly following his weekly Governor Reports every Friday. But the governor’s denial was immediately shot down by the militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) Bohol. The group challenged “Governor Aumentado, Congressmen Edgardo Chatto, Eladio Jala and Roberto Cajes to come out and tell their piece of whatever information they have regarding the issue”.
In a statement signed by secretary general John Ruiz III, it said their role of the anomaly would give justice to the farmers who were used as props in the scam.
In answer to Bayan’s dare, Gov. Aumentado belied allegations by saying “he did not ask, he did not get and the provincial government has not received any amount relative to the subject scam”. The Aumentado statement also came on the same day when Bohol radio news items dared the governor to respond to the allegations. The governor said he knew later that the fertilizer, not the funds were coursed through the Regional Field Office of the DA and was downloaded directly to the local agriculture office with the explicit instructions to give them to farmer beneficiaries in Bohol towns. Aumentado’s denial would necessarily negate the allegations that the reported P5 M fertilizer for Bohol was used to bankroll his and the President’s candidacy in the 2004 election. BAYAN has posited that the governor, like the three congressmen here are GMA allies and got the fertilizers. The group however said their farmer affiliates did not see any of these fertilizers that the governor talked about.
2 SOLONS, 1 EX ALSO IN BOLANTE’S LIST
Bohol’s two incumbent solons—Reps. Edgar Chatto and Roberto Cajes were man enough to admit that they did receive their share of the election manna in the form of fertilizers apparently P6 million all in all. In Bolante’s list each congressman was given P3million worth of fertilizers.
This developed even if some reports indicated that the inputs were given during harvest time and practically those distributed were intended not for rice but for ornamental plants. A report emanating from Antequera indicated that the town did get its allocation but the tipster said it was in the form of foliar fertilizer which according to specifications intended for orchids to induce flowering. Earlier, former congressman Eladio Jala admitted in a radio interview that as far as he can recall, he was also a recipient. Jala’s term ended in 2007 paving the way for his son to succeed him. Quizzed of his involvement of a possible scam, the elder Jala clarified that his role was only to identify the recipients. In this case, the deal, he said was for the congressman to identify the town-beneficiary and then let the DA regional office did the distribution scheme. In his effort to remember the identified recipients, he only mentioned Bilar as one. He hinted that there might be other recipients but his memory could no longer served him right.
The forgetful Jala said there was nothing anomalous about the fertilizer distribution. In fact, he said a Commission on Audit team already absolved him of any anomalous involvement.
CHATTO’s VERSION
In his own version of the fertilizer fund, Rep. Edgar Chatto of the first district said DA was tasked to identify a recipient town. In subsequent follow up, the first district legislator found that officials charged to monitor its implementation reported that the project was properly implemented, documented and audited. This was explained by the solon in an interview upon arriving from Manila yesterday as he also clarified that his office did not receive the farm inputs or any fund for the purpose. He was asked to identify the recipient local government unit (LGU). For a clearer public understanding, Chatto said it is customary for his office to send letter-requests to all department secretaries in sourcing for funds that can be used for local projects. He received a call from the DA Regional Office about the availability of fund for farm inputs to be implemented by an LGU. Chatto then recommended Balilihan as a recipient municipality to implement the project, knowing fully well the town’s keen focus on enhancing agricultural productivity. He further clarified that other LGUs in his district also benefited from projects thru various agencies. These projects pursued the congressman’s service mission motto “LIFE HELPS,” which means “Livelihood and Tourism Development, Infrastructure, Food, Education, Health, Environment, Leadership Development, Peace and Order, and Sports and Youth Development.” In a separate interview, Balilihan Vice Mayor Dominisio Chatto said the farm inputs project while he was then the mayor was implemented and audited in accordance with the existing procurement rules and procedures with full documentation. Recipients were identified by the Municipal Agriculture Office headed by MAO Roberto Batingal, who conducted a training and took charge in the distribution, with complete list and signatures of the farmer beneficiaries. Full liquidation of the fund disbursement was done with the DA Regional Office, according Municipal Treasurer Lina Banac. This was confirmed by former DA Regional Director Eduardo Lecciones in a talk with the vice mayor. Chatto welcomed the on-going inquiry so that each case of fund release could be treated on an individual basis. This can allow the recipient LGUs the opportunity to explain how the project was implemented and fairly clear the names of those who had executed the program well, Chatto said.
CAJES TURN TO EXPLAIN
For his part, like Cong. Chatto, the second district solon also admitted having received his allocation of fertilizer.
In his text message to the Post, he said the DA was the right agency which can provide the list of recipients among LGUs. But when he was asked to identify his own list of recipients, he can only recommend two of the 14 towns under his district. They are Dagohoy and San Isidro.
As to the other municipalities, Cong. Cajes was not privy to any information that some of them were beneficiaries. He said he would be happy if several towns of his district were given a share of fertilizer allocation knowing that most of them are agricultural areas.
THE BAYAN DARE
An umbrella of militant groups in the province dared Gov. Aumentado and the three Bohol solons to talk on the P728-million fertilizer scam being investigated by the Senate.
In a statement, the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) noted that former Agriculture Secretary Jocelyn Bolante has cleared Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of any involvement in the scam, negating her description as a “hands on” President.
Bayan said that if Bolante did not know the political affiliations of the solons and governors who received allocations, what was the basis for identifying the recipients?
It noted that in his radio program, Aumentado explained that the province received fertilizer products but not cash.
“Maybe the three Bohol solons would have the same reasons,” the statement added.
Bayan said the funding was supposedly for poor farmers who were affected by the El Niño.
However, it added that majority of the members of Bayan-Bohol who are farmers under the Humabol “never heard” of the actual distribution process.
“In fact, in June 2005, Humabol even etitioned for the release of provincial and municipal calamity fund because of the poor harvest in 2004 and 2005,” said John Ruiz III, Bayan Bohol secretary general.
Bayan said Aumentado and the three congressmen should come out and shed light on what they know about the issue to the Senate and especially to the people. “It is difficult to believe that they were irresponsible when they did not check the multi-million items delivered in their area of responsibility,” Ruiz added.
He said the officials’ laxity in ensuring that the supposed beneficiaries will benefit from it manifest their lack of concern and proves that they were not serious. “The Senate investigation shows that the delivered fertilizers were diluted, substandard and overpriced,” Bayan added.
The statement said it seems that agriculture gets big projects and big programs every time there is an election. “Most of the projects and programs are either selective, fast tract or unfinished. The unfinished P165M Talibon Small Reservoir Impounding dam got its budget approval in 1998,” Bayan added.
The statement also noted that the P728M fertilizer scam was released in 2004 while the multi-million swine dispersal questioned by the Commission on Audit in 2007 were among those released through administration allies as election was approaching. “Public office is a public trust. The people demand and deserve the truth,” Bayan concluded.
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