By Ven rebo Arigo
The P1 million counterpart of Rep. Edgar Chatto for the Skills Training Advocating Reliance on Self-employment (STARS) Project in Bohol had long been deposited to the account of the province, according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
The amount is half of the P2 million Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of the congressman which DBM Regional Director Carmela Fernan confirmed to have been deposited at Land Bank of the Philippines – Tagbilaran Branch “for credit to the account of the province.â€
The other P1 million of the P2M PDAF is Chatto’s support to the province’s project crafting the Panglao Island Eco-tourism Development Masterplan.
The DBM confirmation of Chatto’s support fund for the STARS Project has further refuted and negated the “intriguing†insistence of some governor’s men that the counterparts of the congressmen, or Chatto in this particular case, did “never†come.
Fernan had , in fact, written to Gov. Erico Aumentado last January 7 to advise him of the DBM deposit covering the P2 million Chatto fund at Land Bank to “cover the cash requirement†of the congressman’s priority programs and projects.
Employment and livelihood, for which the STARS project is intended, are priority concerns of the Bohol congressman.
“By authority of the DBM secretary,†Fernan informed the governor in her same letter that the fund was “authorized under Special Allotment Release Order No. G-09-07522, dated October, issued upon the request†of Chatto.
Fernan’s letter to the governor was confirmed by Acting Provincial Administrator Handel Lagunay himself when he indorsed it last January 13 to capitol financial adviser Primitiva Ontong, Provincial Budget Officer Valeria Orig, Accountant Joseth Celocia and Treasurer Eustaquio Socorin.
In his indorsement, Lagunay quoted the P2 fund as covered by Funding Check No. 839475 which, Fernan said, was long issued on Decenmber 28, 2009.
Chatto himself formally wrote and informed the governor last month of the solon’s P1 million allocation as his “gesture of support†to the provincial government’s STARS Project.
In his same letter, the congressman asked for a “correction†of a misleading capitol press release on the STARS Project which inaccurately stated that the “supposed counterpart of the congressmen never came.â€
Chatto repeated his previous announcement that his P1M support to be sourced from his PDAF had long been attested by the SARO issued by DBM Central Office as early as October 5 last year.
In writing to the governor, the solon at the same time called the attention of the governor’s financial adviser and provincial budget officer.
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