‘Pork’ went to school already closed

NAVA

ILOILO CITY – Guimaras Representative Joaquin Carlos Rahman Nava is facing charges at the Office of the Ombudsman for alleged irregularities in a scholarship program funded by public funds credited as his pork barrel.

In a seven-page complaint dated October 21 and filed at the Ombudsman Visayas, Iloilo journalist Ranie Jangayo asked the anti-graft body to investigate the disbursement of P10,022,300 from the legislator’s 2012 Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) for scholarships intended for poor students in the towns of Jordan, Buenavista, San Lorenzo and Sibunag.

Nava is a member of the ruling Liberal Party. Reached by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Nava denied he misused his pork barrel for scholars, calling the case a “malicious” ploy by his political rivals. He said his education program started in 2010 and benefits at least 20,000 elementary pupils, 10,000 high school students and 3,000 students in college.

Jangayo, in his complaint, claimed that the purported 26,500 beneficiaries of the scholarship program, as reflected in the Special Allotment Release Order BMB-12-T0000033630 dated July 27, 2012, was “highly improbable” because the number of scholars comprises about 65.88 percent of the island’s estimated population under the 5-19 years old age bracket.

Nava’s scholarship program, which gives education subsidies to recipients, was also questioned because many of the scholars were enrolled in private colleges and universities and those primarily offering review courses in Iloilo City.

The beneficiaries included students enrolled in at least 13 private schools in Iloilo City, based on a report of the Department of Budget and Management website.

“The grant of scholarships to students enrolled in private universities and colleges… is highly questionable as public funds are disbursed to students enrolled in private schools who are by fact of being enrolled (in private schools) are presumed capable of paying for their own education,” according to the complaint.

The private schools where the beneficiaries of the scholarship were purportedly enrolled include the University of Iloilo, Iloilo Doctors College, Colegio Sagrado Corazon de Jesus, John B. Lacson Colleges Foundation, St. Therese MTC Colleges, Central Philippine University, University of San Agustin, St. Paul University Iloilo,

Cabalum Western College, Colegio de San Jose, Western Institute of Technology and Systems Technology Institute.

One of the private schools where some of the beneficiaries were purportedly enrolled, the De Paul College, does not operate anymore and has been the temporary office of the Regional Trial Courts since early last year, according to the complaint.

The school ceased operations in 2010 due to financial losses, according to an earlier statement issued by the school administration.

According to Nava, the De Paul College continued to appear on the list of schools that received pork funding for scholars because the list was a carryover from 2010. He denied irregularity in allotting funds for students in private schools because there was no law against it.

Jangayo also alleged in his complaint that disbursement vouchers of the municipal government of Jordan for the scholarship program reached P5.667 million, which exceeds the P3.321 million that Nava allotted for the scholarship program covering the capital town.

In the complaint, Jangayo also asked the Ombudsman to investigate alleged irregularities in the use of Nava’s PDAF for a livelihood program and financial aid to indigents.

Jangayo cited the disbursement of P2.297 million in March 2013 for a livelihood project supposedly for residents of Jordan town.

He claimed in the complaint that the funds were returned for still unexplained reasons and that some of the intended beneficiaries have denied applying for the project.

Jangayo, who is a resident of Jaro District in Iloilo City, said he filed the complaint even if he was not a resident of Guimaras “as a moral obligation.”