David Bangayan unaware of P100-M budget to kill rice smuggling issue

By: Maila Ager - 11 years ago

Davidson Bangayan (in photo) aka David Tan INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines –David Bangayan, also the alleged rice smuggler David Tan, denied any knowledge about the P100-million budget allegedly released to kill the rice smuggling issue in the Senate.

The issue was brought up and asked by Senator JV Ejercito during the ongoing investigation by the committee on agriculture and food into the unabated rice smuggling in the country.

“Mula noong lumabas ang issue, mainit na issue ay napag alam na meron daw budget na P100 million o mahigit pa para patayin ang issue, ang storya ng rice smuggling,” Ejercito said.

(Since the issue broke out, we’ve learned that there’s a budget of P100 million or more to kill the issue, the story on rice smuggling.)

“Minsan gusto kong maniwala kasi dati nasa front page itong issue, ngayon nasa loob na lang. Totoo ba ito? May nalalaman ka ba dito, Mr. Bangayan?”

(Sometimes, I want to believe that because this story used to land in the front page but it’s now buried in the inside pages of [the newspaper]

“No your honor,” Bangayan said.

“Totoo? Wala kang kinalaman? Kasi bukod sa nasa loob, wala nang masyadong interest…Wala ho kayong nalalaman dito?” asked Ejercito.

“Wala po,” Bangayan again answered.

Senator Cynthia Villar, head of the committee, then took the opportunity to encourage Bangayan to help the small farmers instead of engaging in rice trading.

The committee has filed a perjury case again Bangayan for allegedly lying during the past hearings of the committee.

“Siguro maganda din nakikita ni Mr. Bangayan ang problema natin sa rice para hindi na sya maging trader, magiging rice producer na lang sya…” Villar said.

(Maybe it’s also good that Mr. Bangayan can see our problem in rice so he would no longer become a trader, he would just become rice producer.)

“Siguro naman ang yaman yaman na ni Mr. Bangayan… so maybe iwanan na nya na ang rice trading at sumama na kayo sa amin, sa aming pakikipaglaban para maging competitive ang mga farmers sa Pilipinas.”

(Maybe, Mr. Bangayan is very rich already so maybe he can leave the rice trading and join us in our effort to make our farmer in the Philippines competitive.)

“Siguro kelangan din namin ang tulong nyo kasi mukhang magaling kayong negosyante di ba. And we need all the minds in order to make our rice farmers competitive…” Villar added.

(Maybe we also need your help because it seems that you’re a good businessman. And we need all the minds in order to make our rice farmers competitive.)