Lawmakers revived pork deals in DA, says Alcala

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Agriculture (DA) stopped accepting pork barrel funds for two years, but Secretary Proceso Alcala said the practice resumed in August 2012 on the request of lawmakers and the advice of the Department of Budget and Management.

The department had processed the release of P44 million from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to Kaupdanan para sa Mangunguma Foundation Inc. (KMFI), a nongovernment organization linked to businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, who allegedly controlled a web of NGOs to siphon off billions of pesos from the PDAF into her bank accounts.

After the pork barrel scam allegedly masterminded by Napoles broke out, the agriculture department began an investigation into the PDAF-funded projects that went to KMFI. The report would be released next week, Alcala said yesterday at a hearing in the House of Representatives on his agency’s proposed P79 billion 2014 budget.

Answering questions from militant lawmakers, Alcala said he shunned the pork barrel during his first two years in the agriculture department.

“From July of 2010 to August of 2012, we did not allow the PDAF to be coursed through the DA because the guidelines weren’t clear to us,” he said.

But he said that when he faced the House, he was told that he could not refuse pork because lawmakers had legitimate programs intended to help farmers. The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) had a similar view, he said.

“We were advised by the DBM that we cannot just disallow the coursing of the PDAF through the department,” he said.

Safety net

“We saw that there were valid reasons. What we did was put up safety nets,” he added.

He said he instituted a program for the proper accreditation that would receive the PDAF funds. Releases of the funds were also made in tranches when the amount exceeded P300,000. The initial releases had to be liquidated first before the next tranche would be released, he said.

“We have an internal audit. We validate each tranche,” he said.

In the case of KMFI, P83 million was allocated for it but only P44 million was released, he said.

Alcala said the agriculture department did not see KMFI’s connection to Napoles at the time. He noted that in 2012, the alleged scam involving Napoles had not yet been discovered.

The agriculture department also has papers from the Securities and Exchange Commission showing that KMFI was in good standing, the reason why the department accredited it.

Six lawmakers

Alcala said six lawmakers channeled funds to KMFI, but he named only five. They were Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab, An Waray Party-list Rep. Neil Montejo, Masbate Rep. Scott Davies Lanete, former Camarines Sur Rep. Arnulfo Fuentebella and Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali.

Ungab, head of the House appropriations committee, asked Alcala during the hearing whether the projects he funded had been implemented or were fictitious.

Alcala replied that the projects had been fully implemented, validated not just by statements under oath but also by pictures. And they had been fully liquidated, he added.