Palace asked to comment on plea to stop scrapping of pork scam-linked GOCC

THE Supreme Court has ordered Malacañang to comment on the petition to stop the abolition of the National Livelihood Development Corporation (NLDC), one of the government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCC) implicated in the P10-billion pork barrel fund scam.

At a press conference, high court’s Information Chief Theodore Te said respondents Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. and the Governance Commission for the GOCCs (GCG) through its chair Cesar Villanueva were ordered to comment on the plea within 10 days of receiving the notice of the resolution.

“The Court required, without necessarily giving due course to the petition, respondents to comment on the petition within a period of 10 days from notice of resolution,” Te said.

The petitioners composed of 69 employees said they were not consulted about the plan to abolish the agency through Memorandum Order 85.

Petitioners want to nullify Memorandum Order 85.

“The abolition of the NLDC would result in the violation of the constitutional rights of the petitioners to substantive and procedural due process and equal protection under the 1987 Constitution,” petitioners said.

“These rights should not be disregarded as in fact the same are so sacred and for this reason they are specifically stated in the Constitution in due recognition of their being inherent and inviolable,” petitioners said through their counsel Atty. Remigio Danao.

The employees added that many of the employees still have an average of 20 years  before the mandatory retirement.

“Thus, at the average, each employee would stand to lose about P7.8 million if NLDC would be abolished,” they said.

“This is not to mention that if they are forced to retire early, the retirement benefits which they would receive are way below the expected retirement benefits they are supposed to receive if they reach the mandatory retirement age,” petitioners lamented.

NLDC is a GOCC that provides “wholesale lending and technical assistance to microfinance institutions (MFIs) that extend microfinance services to qualified households.”

Petitioners told the high court that they are performing their mandate to the letter in promoting agri-business in low-income communities.

“Thus,  this petition because the NLDC, which is an asset to the national government and champion of the masses, and herein petitioners should not be sacrificed and discriminated in favor of those who lobbied and possibly misled the Hon. Executive Secretary into issuing the assailed Memorandum Order No. 85,” petitioners said.

NLDC was among those allegedly used by lawmakers to funnel their Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) from 2007 to 2009.

Eight of its officials have been slapped with a case for plunder and graft charges before the Sandiganbayan.