Former agriculture chief ordered arrested

The Sandiganbayan on Thursday ordered the arrest of former Agriculture Secretary Luis Ramon Lorenzo and three former board officials of Quedan and Rural Credit Guarantee Corp. (Quedancor) for graft charges in connection with the alleged questionable award of a P48.6-million supply contract with a private firm.

Also ordered arrested by the antigraft court’s first division were former Quedancor president Nelson C. Bueñaflor and former board members Romeo C. Lanciola and Jesus M. Simon.

Bail was set at P30,000 each.

Two other accused, former board members Nellie M. Ilas and Wilfredo B. Domo-ong, have already posted bail before the clerk of court.

The Sandiganbayan also directed the Bureau of Immigration to place the six accused on the hold-departure list.

Associate Justice Efren N. de la Cruz, chair of the first division, signed the arrest warrants.

On July 12, 2013, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales approved the indictment of the defendants after Metro Livestock failed to deliver the needed supplies, resulting in government losses amounting to P47.5 million.

She also noted the lack of a public bidding in the contract granted to Metro Livestock, which had only P62,500 in paid-up capital government funds.

Under the P1.7-billion swine breeding program, Quedancor, a government-owned and -controlled corporation, was mandated to extend loans to qualified livestock farmers.

As agriculture chief, Lorenzo was also chair of Quedancor’s board.

Instead of cash, the loan will be in the form of input supplies like breeding hogs, feeds, medicines and technical assistance.

The lack of public bidding, Morales said, meant that Quedancor could not go after the supplier for late deliveries and nondeliveries as there was no performance bond or contractor’s surety bond that should have been required from a winning bidder.