DA exec in plunder rap still dealing with bogus NGOs

Salvador Salacup, the former head of ZNAC Rubber Estate Corp. (ZREC), continues to funnel state funds to bogus nongovernment organizations (NGOs) as an assistant secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA), apparently with the full blessing of his bosses, Secretary Proceso Alcala and Undersecretary Antonio Fleta, the Inquirer learned on Wednesday.

Salacup was among 38 people charged with plunder and malversation by the National Bureau of Investigation for their alleged complicity in the P10-billion pork barrel scam masterminded by detained businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles.

Alcala has not suspended or asked Salacup to go on a leave of absence despite being charged by the NBI in the Office of the Ombudsman. Alcala has not replied to the Inquirer’s request for comment.

Kabataan Rep. Terry Ridon said Salacup was the manager of the DA’s Organic Agriculture Program, which gave out roughly P100 million in DA funds to NGOs, including two entities associated with the Napoles ring of fake foundations, endorsed by senators, representatives and mayors from 2011 to 2012.

“All these projects should be thoroughly investigated to determine whether these are similar ghost projects as those under the P10-billion pork barrel scam of Napoles. The complicity of executives and LGU (local government unit) officials should be fully revealed,” Ridon said in a text message.

“These projects are part of the DA’s national organic agriculture program and are financed by the agriculture department itself, not from PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund). In other words, this reveals that Napoles group’s operation is even far wider than what we thought, as they also operate inside agencies,” Ridon said.

The Inquirer obtained copies of seven memoranda of agreement (MOA) signed by Fleta and prepared by Salacup which released funds from the DA’s Organic Agriculture Program to bogus NGOs run by Napoles’ employees Merlina Suñas and John Lim.

LGU recipients

Suñas was the handpicked NGO head for the P10 million allocated by the DA to Sen. Jinggoy Estrada who chose Umingan, Pangasinan, as the recipient. The MOA was signed by Fleta and Umingan Mayor Eldred P. Tumbocon on July 21, 2011.

Lim was the designated NGO head for the P10 milion released by the DA to Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III who chose Surigao del Sur province as recipient. The MOA was signed by Fleta and Surigao del Sur Gov. Johnny Pimentel on Jan. 2, 2012.

Lim was also the designated NGO chief facilitator for five other MOAs giving DA funds directly to LGUs—P10 million to Tago, Surigao del Sur (Mayor Henrich Pimentel); P10 million to Madrid, Surigao del Sur (Jose Arpilleda); P10 million to Cantilla, Surigao del Norte (Mayor Genito B. Guardo); P10 million to Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur (Mayor Candelario Viola Jr.); and P5 million to San Antonio, Nueva Ecija (Mayor Arvin Salonga).

Ridon identified six MOAs with other LGUs—Bulacan, Bulacan; Catanduanes province; Baras, Catanduanes; Dinalupihan, Bataan; Sanchez-Mira, Cagayan; and Padada municipality—but he did not reveal the amount nor the endorsing lawmakers nor the facilitating NGOs.

A DA source, who requested anonymity for lack of authority to speak on the matter, said that Salacup had asked Fleta to skip the normal process of vetting the recipients of the organic farming funds of the agency through the technical committee and the national organic board where Salacup was designated as the secretariat.

Senators involved

The DA source said that aside from Estrada and Pimentel, other senators who were allocated DA funds were Senators Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (P15 million), Juan Ponce Enrile (P10 million), Ramon Revilla Jr. (P10 million), Loren Legarda (P5 million) and Vicente Sotto III (P5 million).

The same DA source said that the other NGO operators who signed the MOAs were Fernando Sandrino, Rowel Alcaraz, Jessie Urbano, Ma. Elena Santos, Fe Ignacio and Jasper Madrigal. The DA source said the MOAs prepared by Salacup were notarized by only two lawyers—Irene D.T. Alogoc and Raymond Gerardo Tansip.

Alcala has refused to reveal the DA’s list of accredited NGOs even after he was forced to confirm an Inquirer report that he authorized in 2012 the release of P83 million in DA funds allocated to six incumbent and former representatives—Isidro Ungab of Davao City, Reynaldo Umali of Oriental Mindoro, Neil Montejo of the party-list group An Waray and Antonio Lagdameo Jr. of Davao del Norte, Arnulfo Fuentebella of Camarines Sur and Rizalina Seachon-Lanete of Masbate.

Alcala himself was tagged by the Commission on Audit among the lawmakers who released their pork to fake NGOs from 2007 to 2009.

In his testimony in the Senate blue ribbon committee before he was charged last week by the NBI, Salacup confirmed that Enrile, Estrada and Revilla and Association of Philippine Electric Cooperative (Apec) Rep. Edgar Valdez and Buhay Rep. Rene Velarde used ZREC as the implementing agency for the release of their PDAF to fake NGOs belonging to the Napoles group.