Science chief retracts statement, clears Lacson, Pia Cayetano

Science Secretary Mario Montejo: Retraction INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—A day after being publicly contradicted by Sen. Pia Cayetano and former Sen. Panfilo Lacson, Science Secretary Mario Montejo retracted the statement he made at a Senate budget hearing on Monday that the two senators had augmented the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) budget through Malacañang’s controversial scheme, the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).

Montejo said it was the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) that released in December 2011 the additional P40 million which he had attributed to Cayetano and Lacson.

The science secretary said the additional funds went to the malnutrition reduction research and development program of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), a DOST-attached agency.

“Although both senators (Cayetano and Lacson) have expressed their support for the program, neither of them had sought budgetary support to fund the program through the Disbursement Acceleration Program or DAP,” Montejo said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

“The DBM, acting on our request for additional funding for the program, released funds to the DOST-FNRI totaling P40 million through the DAP mechanism in December 2011,” he added.

“We hope this clears up the matter and we express our sincere apologies to Senator Cayetano and former Senator Lacson for the confusion that may have resulted from our earlier statements,” Montejo went on.

He, however, did not offer an explanation why he attributed to the lawmakers the release of the extra funds.

At the Senate hearing on the DOST’s proposed P3.476-billion budget for next year, Montejo said his agency received P2 billion through the DAP in 2011.

He said the funds mostly went to the Project Noah weather forecasting upgrade and the Advanced Device and Materials Testing Laboratory.

Then Montejo mentioned the DOST also received P40 million for the FNRI.

“We were given funds from the DAP for our malnutrition reduction program and these were allocated P40 million, as mentioned, complimentary baby food through the initiative of Senator Lacson and Pia Cayetano. They indicated that they wanted to support (the project),” Montejo had told the Senate finance committee.

Montejo said Cayetano allocated P10 million while Lacson allocated P30 million under the DAP in 2011.

He said Cayetano also allocated P6 million for the agency’s science bus project.

Cayetano and Lacson have denied authorizing the release of additional funds to the DOST under the DAP, saying they have not heard of the DAP until Budget Secretary Florencio Abad brought it up to explain the release of additional pork barrel funds to certain lawmakers.

Montejo said the DOST could account for the extra funds it received.

“We assure the public that the funds are all documented and accounted for and are being used in our efforts to curb malnutrition in the country through science and technology,” he said.—Dona Z. Pazzibugan