FERTILIZER FUND SCAM
Capiz solon bares ‘30-30-40’ scheme
By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 10:19:00 11/18/2008
Filed Under: Joc-joc Bolante, Congress, Graft & Corruption
MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE 5) A congressman said Tuesday he had been offered P5 million by “agents” of former agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn Bolante but that only 40 percent of this was to be used to purchase fertilizer.
At the hearing of the House committee on agriculture into the so-called fertilizer fund scam, Capiz Representative Antonio Del Rosario, who was then mayor of Roxas City in Capiz province, said the alleged agents, a certain Baredo and Maritess Aytona, told him that of the P5 million, 30 percent would go to his campaign funds, 30 percent to Bolante, and 40 percent would be used to buy the liquid foliar fertilizer.
The committee agreed to subpoena Aytona, who committee chairman Palawan Representative Abraham Kahlil Mitra said should appear to shed light on her alleged involvement in the alleged misuse of the fertilizer fund, and former budget secretary Emilia Boncodin, who has twice failed to appear before the inquiry.
Invitations will also be sent to former agriculture secretary Luis Lorenzo and budget undersecretary Mario Relampagos.
Del Rosario said he turned down the foliar fertilizer because what farmers in his province needed was urea for rice. Foliar fertilizer is commonly used for ornamental plants
"Who ordered for foliar fertilizers to be distributed? It's not the one needed by our farmers," Del Rosario told the House panel.
Bolante countered that Capiz is a known grower of ornamental plants.
He also said it was "impossible" for Del Rosario to be offered money because the solon made no request.
"Whoever approached you [that] is between you and them, we have nothing to do with that," Bolante said.
Del Rosario asked the Commission on Audit to account for the amount released for his province to prove his claim.
In a phone interview with Inquirer.net Friday, House Majority Leader Arthur Defensor also said that in March 2004, "somebody" from the Department of Agriculture offered him fertilizer, but that he turned this down because the procurement process did not comply with standard operating procedures.
Earlier in the hearing, Bolante, who is accused of engineering the alleged diversion of P728 million to the 2004 campaign kitty of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, insisted there was no irregularity as to how the funds were used.
"There is no fertilizer scam," Bolante said in his opening statement at the hearing of the agriculture committee at the House of Representatives Tuesday.
Bolante said that "not a single centavo was released to the congressmen, governors or mayors" and that the fund was fully accounted for.
At the same time, Bolante cleared Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap of involvement in the alleged scandal involving fertilizer funds that were allegedly diverted to the campaign kitty of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the 2004 elections.
After he failed to seek asylum in the United States, Bolante said he decided to come home to defend himself against the "lies and misinformation."
The latest misinformation, he said, was when reports said that he implicated Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap in the alleged scam when he testified before the Senate that the agriculture undersecretaries for operations, which included Yap at that time, were responsible for the implementation of the program.
"Hear me out with objectivity, please do not impose upon me your interpretation of the truth that has been set in your mind, if I will say things that you want to hear, then I will be telling a lie," Bolante said.
Bolante faced a similar inquiry at the Senate last week but issued testimonies that some senators described as "unbelievable."
He also cleared the President of involvement in the scam.
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