Golez: Inquirer report on Luy’s list actually cleared my name

Former Paranaque congressman Rolio Golez   PHOTO from Facebook account

MANILA, Philippines—Former Paranaque congressman Rolio Golez was unruffled by reports linking him to the pork barrel scam. He claimed on Monday that it had even cleared him of wrongdoing.

“Ako’y nagpapasalamat dahil itong artikulo na ito ng Inquirer nag-clear sa pangalan ko sapagkat klarong-klaro nakalagay dun ‘No Saro (special release allotment order), without Saro,’” he told Radyo Inquirer 990AM.

(I am thankful that this article of the Philippine Daily Inquirer cleared my name because it clearly stated there ‘No Saro, without Saro.’)

Golez was included in the list of lawmakers mentioned in the files of Benhur Luy, former employee of Janet Lim-Napoles and now principal witness to the misuse of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

The article said Golez was in Luy’s records but there was no Saro attributed to his name. He was instead included in the so-called “list of proponents in 2004.”

Allotments for public projects or programs was usually released by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to implementing agencies through the Agency Budget Matrix or Special Allotment Release Orders (Saros), which is for individual allocations.

In the past, PDAF allocations required a Saro, which will only be released after a special budget request and supporting documents are submitted to DBM.

However, following the pork barrel scam controversy and reports of faked Saros, the DBM in January said it would do away with the Saro and instead use the General Appropriations Act as the government’s “official budget release document.”

Golez said the absence of a Saro linking him to projects or groups associated to Napoles was proof that his PDAF was never diverted to the pork barrel scam.

He denied ever meeting Luy or any group associated with Napoles, the alleged pork barrel scam mastermind.

“Maybe communication lang iyan (nasa listahan); pumasok sa opisina na hindi ko pinansin,” he said.

(Perhaps it’s just a list of people they communicated with; perhaps they visited my office but I ignored them.)

Golez pointed out that most of his PDAF went to infrastructure projects like covered courts and school buildings. He said the only “soft projects” he had then were for the Philippine General Hospital, the National Kidney and Transplant Institute and the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s burial assistance program.

At the same time, he said it was the responsibility of lawmakers to ensure that the groups they dealt with were not dummies. Golez said he mostly worked with established cooperatives known in Paranaque.

Unlike the other congressmen tagged in the pork barrel scam, Golez said he had no ill-feelings towards the reporter who wrote the article. On the other hand, he said he would have preferred only relevant information, or those with pertinent documents, included in the report.

Asked if the pork barrel scam will cause the downfall of Congress, Golez said it is the people linked to the controversy who will be disgraced and not the institution.

“Madami na tayong pinagdaanan dyan na gulo, maraming akusasyon sa mga myembro. But the House survived. Yung mga tao ay just fleeting personalities pero iyong institusyon ay permanent,” he said.

(We have been through a lot of conflicts, there were many accusations against the members. But the House survived. The people are just fleeting personalities but the institution is permanent.)

He said he hopes Congress “will remain very strong, notwithstanding some problems that are encountered on a transition basis.”

RELATED STORIES

Escudero: Napoles’ list meant to confuse, move spotlight from self

Estrada denies receiving commissions from Napoles

Makati court defers ruling on Napoles plea to extend hospital stay