(Updated 10:53 a.m.) MANILA, Philippines - Former Agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn Bolante on Thursday shielded Malacañang from the fertilizer fund scam.
Answering a query from Senator Manuel Roxas II on when President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo approved the fertilizer fund, Bolante categorically said the President had no involvement in the fertilizer fund project of the Agriculture department.
"President Arroyo has never been involved and is not involved in this particular project of the Department of Agriculture," Bolante said in response to Roxas' initial question.
"The project that you are referring to is the P728 million farm input and farm implement program was approved and processed by the DBM. It did not require the approval of President Arroyo," Bolante added.
Roxas, however, did not accept Bolante's answer, saying Arroyo is known to be a micro-manager.
Roxas recalled an earlier hearing where former budget secretary Emilia Boncodin, when asked if "the president knew about" the fund, had replied, "I would imagine so."
Bolante said the P728-million fertilizer fund was part of the unutilized savings from the 2003 budget.
"It came from the 2003 budget, which simply shows it was something we did not work on on Feb. 3 ... Then Secretary (Luis Jr.) Lorenzo made an official request to the DBM Sept. 4, 2003 for the release of the funds for the farm input farm implement requirements of the DA," Bolante said. - Mark Merueñas, GMANews.TV
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