DAR denies current officials involved in diversion of funds

The Malampaya gas rig is found 80 kilometers off the shore of northwest Palawan. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Agrarian Reform denied allegations its incumbent officials diverted P125 million from the Malampaya Fund to bogus nongovernmental organizations in 2011.

Agrarian Reform Undersecretary Anthony Paruñgao, in a statement, said the DAR had received no part of the government’s share of revenues from the operation of natural gas fields off Palawan since the present administration came to power.

The peasant group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) on Tuesday filed a plunder complaint against Paruñgao in the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the alleged fund diversion in 2011.  Also named in the complaint were President Aquino, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, and nine others.

Paruñgao said a cursory look at the “time lines” would show that Malampaya releases to DAR were made in 2009 during the Arroyo administration, referring to the P900 million coursed through the DAR purportedly for victims of storms “Ondoy” and “Pepeng.” The money was allegedly channeled to dubious NGOs. Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has been named in a plunder complaint in connection with the 2009 releases.

“After receiving reports that some of the supposed beneficiaries of the Malampaya Fund denied having received any financial assistance or support from the DAR back in 2009, the Office of the Secretary directed its Internal Audit Service on November 2012 to conduct an investigation, which began the following month,” Paruñgao said.

He said the DAR then turned over copies of the documents it had collected both to the Commission on Audit, which conducted its own special investigation on the matter, and the National Bureau of Investigation.

“The DAR has shown its readiness and willingness to cooperate in any investigation on the Malampaya Fund issue, and it will continue to do so as the processes progress,” Paruñgao said.

“Incidentally, there were fund releases back in 2011,” he said. But he said these did not come from the Malampaya Fund.

As early as July 2012 though, the DAR started investigating these allegedly inappropriate releases, more than a year ahead of the media reports on the alleged scam in the last quarter of 2013, he said.

Paruñgao said that he had furnished the Department of Justice copies of reports and documents that the DAR had collected.

“We are also ready and willing to cooperate in any investigation on this matter,” he said.

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