Andaya signed 33 Saros in PDAF scam

Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya signed almost all the special allotment release orders from 2007 to 2009 issued to the three senators indicted for plunder in the Sandiganbayan, documents obtained by the Inquirer showed. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya, who allegedly received P255 million from businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles while he was budget secretary, signed almost all the special allotment release orders (Saros) from 2007 to 2009 issued to the three senators indicted for plunder in the Sandiganbayan, documents obtained by the Inquirer showed.

Even so, Andaya was not charged in connection with the P10-billion Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam allegedly masterminded by Napoles.

The National Bureau of Investigation, however, has implicated Andaya in the Malampaya Fund scam, in which P900 million meant for agrarian reform communities devastated by storms in 2009 was allegedly pocketed by officials through bogus nongovernment organizations (NGOs) of Napoles, and charged him in the Office of the Ombudsman with plunder along with 26 others.

Four employees of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) were charged with graft by the Office of the Ombudsman in the Sandiganbayan in connection with the PDAF scam.

Copies of the Saros obtained by the Inquirer showed that Andaya signed 33 of the 43 Saros released by the DBM to Senators Jinggoy Estrada, Bong Revilla and Juan Ponce Enrile in 2007-2009 that were coursed through the Napoles NGOs.

The Saro is a document issued by the DBM to indicate that a project has been approved and that funds shall be released for it with the issuance of a notice of cash allocation.

Andaya signed 10 Saros for Enrile that totaled to P345 million for his PDAF in 2007, all of which went to the Napoles NGOs.

For Revilla, 11 Saros for at least P320 million were signed by Andaya. The funds were also funneled through the Napoles NGOs.

For Estrada, Andaya signed 12 Saros for a total of P323 million that also went to the NGOs of Napoles.

Benhur Luy, principal whistle-blower in the P10-billion pork barrel scam and a former employee of Napoles, testified in the Senate last year that

50 percent of the PDAF allocations channeled through the Napoles NGOs were pocketed by lawmakers.

Records of Luy showed that Andaya allegedly received at least 70-percent commission for various projects that were supposed to be implemented by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) from 2006 to 2010, while he was the budget secretary.

An entry of a P28-million commission appeared in the Luy files of July 16, 2007, with the note “Andaya—cash charge to RAD project.” RAD stands for DAR spelled backward.

Luy’s records also showed that some of the kickbacks that Andaya received were given to him through a Metrobank check.

Other documents obtained by the Inquirer from the Commission on Audit (COA) showed that Andaya signed a total of 145 Saros between Oct. 30 and December 2009 worth a total of P14.393 billion.

The amount came from the Malampaya Fund, the government’s share of the oil and gas revenues from the gas fields off Palawan province.

Earlier, Pampanga Rep. Oscar Rodriguez, chair of the House committee on good government and public accountability, said the panel would question Andaya about the release of P10.2 billion for public works projects during a spending binge in the last six months of the Arroyo administration.

The Inquirer could not contact Andaya Monday night for comment.

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