Estrada: Angara channeled PDAF through own NGOs

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/LYN RILLON

MANILA, Philippines–Detained Sen. Jinggoy Estrada was at it again against former Sen. Edgardo Angara, saying his former colleague was “reckless” in his use of his pork barrel funds and cited anew the finding of the Commission on Audit (COA) report on pork barrel funds against Angara.

Estrada made it clear he was not saying that the P50 million incentive given by the Aquino administration to Angara and 19 other senators after the impeachment of Chief Justice Renato Corona in 2012 was channeled by the latter to his own foundation, Kalusugan ng Bata, Karunungan ng Bayan Inc. (KBKBI). This was because this did not involve the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), he said.

“That statement was an indirect reference to how ‘reckless’ (to use his own term) Sen. Angara has been with his PDAF,” Estrada said in a statement.

He was referring to his statement last week that Angara should look in his own foundation to which the COA had said he had diverted his PDAF.

Estrada made the comment after learning that Angara mentioned him in his biography “In the Grand Manner,” which was launched last week. Angara says in the book that Estrada was “reckless and unfair” for saying that the P50 million incentive was a reward for voting to convict Corona.

Angara reacted by saying that his foundation was able to make a full accounting of the P14 million funding it received as well as a full liquidation report.

On Sunday, Estrada said that the COA special audit found Angara channeled his PDAF not only to his own nongovernmental organization but also to allegedly dubious NGOs such as Kagandahan ng Kapaligiran Foundation Inc. (KKFI), Kalusugan ng Bata Karunungan ng Bayan Inc., (KKBI), Manila Seedling Bank Foundation Inc., (MSBFI), Molugan Foundation Inc. (MFI), Read Foundation Inc., Serbisyong Pagmamahal Foundation Inc. (SPFI) and the Assembly of Gracious Samaritans Foundation Inc. (AGSFI).

The COA also found that some of these NGOs did not have business permits to operate or were not registered with the Security Exchange Commission. Many transactions were also not liquidated, according to Estrada, who said KBKBI was only able to give receipt for P5 million of the P14 million released to it.

Nine million pesos here was not liquidated, he said.

As for transactions in KKFI, there were questions on its suppliers having no business permit to operate, while one supplier denied transacting with the NGO.

“But lucky for him, he is allied with the current administration. Despite the glaring audit findings against him, he was not even investigated for any wrongdoing and even immediately cleared of any liability,” Estrada said of Angara.