MANILA, Philippines – Several unsigned draft letters named under certain senators and congressmen requesting for millions of funds from government agencies were among the documents in the digital files of whistle-blower Benhur Luy.
Luy’s digital files at Senate
Luy’s files were submitted to the Senate blue ribbon committee last Wednesday by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
Some of the draft letters were named under Senate President Franklin Drilon, Senate Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, Senators Juan Ponce-Enrile and Sergio Osmeña; former Senator Francis Pangilinan and Loi Ejercito-Estrada and Richard Gordon; and other members of the House of Representatives like Ilocos Norte Representative Imelda Marcos, former Senator and now Muntinlupa Representative Rodolfo Biazon, Leyte 3rd District Representative Eduardo Veloso, La Union Representative Manuel Ortega, among others.
The draft letters, however, were notably unsigned and had no letterheads of the offices of the senators and congressmen.
Most of the letters were also notably addressed to former Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap.
A letter of request, for instance, which seeks a P10-million financial assistance, was named under Drilon and addressed to Yap.
“Due to insufficient agricultural supplies, we are currently encountering challenges specifically the lack of fertilizers and other products that would help nourish our farmlands. One of my objectives is to ensure all possible improvement and development to improve the living condition of my people,” the letter said.
“May I request your good office to grant financial assistance of Ten Million Pesos (Php10, 000,000.00) to be used for the provision of agricultural products and fertilizers.”
“I thank you for this opportunity and I hope that your favorable response will merit my request,” it added.
Another draft letter showed Recto supposedly requesting for a P5-million assistance still from Yap’s office “to be used in providing funds for the development of our farming production.”
A separate draft letter also under Recto’s name addressed to incumbent Agrarian Reform Secretary Virgilio Delos Reyes showed another P10-million fund request also for the development of farming production.
Under Enrile’s name was a draft letter-request for a P5 million assistance “to ensure the abundance of our agricultural products, and another P5 million supposedly from Osmeña for “the provision of agricultural products and fertilizers.”
A P10-million fund request was also drafted under Pangilinan’s name supposedly to help the marginal farmers in Barobo, Surigao del Sur; P5-million fund request supposedly from Gordon for the agricultural sector specifically the Municipality of Lila, Bohol, and another P5 million supposedly from Ejercito-Estrada for the development of the crop production specifically in the Caraga region.
There was also a draft letter from Marcos supposedly requesting a P5-million assistance for the “agricultural production enhancement projects” in her district.
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