Author Topic: Bohol's ex-solons vis-a-vis the pork barrel (Read 1231 times)

islander · « **on:** August 28, 2013, 02:13:12 PM »

4 ex-solons in the pork barrel scam

Written by The Bohol Chronicle

Four former Bohol congressmen were the latest to be included on the controversy over the disbursements of ther Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) ,or what is commonly called as "pork barrels" of the legislators.

Widely known to be close allies of the GMA administration, former congressmen Edgar Chatto, Roberto Cajes, Eladio Jala and Adam Relson Jala were cited by Commission on Audit (COA) report for alleged serious lapses in the allocation of their respective pork barrels that were reportedly channeled to dubious Non-Government Organizations (NGOs).

After the widely publicized anomalies on the use of pork barrel under the fugitive Janet Lim -Napoles, another group using identical scheme was exposed last week allegedly involving former Bohol solons.

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islander · « **Reply #1 on:** August 28, 2013, 02:53:30 PM »

No more pig-out

The legislature will now gorge on a pork-free diet after President Aquino ordered a menu-based system under the Priority Development Assistance Program (PDAF) allocated to senators and congressmen, but the investigations will continue based on the 462-page COA Report that included Bohol's four former solons during GMA's administration.

The COA audit was conducted June 15, 2010 and was finished September 13, 2012 covering CY 2007-2009.

Congressional allocations under PDAF are directly released by the DBM to the Implementing Agencies (IA's) identified by the legislators.

Project proposals for funding are submitted to the Appropriations Committee. These proposals are submitted to the DBM through the Speaker of the House and the Senate President. After evaluation, a Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) and Notice of Cash allocation (NCA) is released to the selected IA's.

Funds released to duly accredited NGO's should be backed by an appropriation law or ordinance for their implementation.

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islander · « **Reply #2 on:** August 28, 2013, 03:01:40 PM »

Releases from PDAF, VILP and other sources from 2007-2009 showed that Cajes allocation amounted to P158.115M.

Infrastructure projects got the lion's share of Cajes PDAF in the amount of P100M while he funded his social services program with P68.115M.

Cajes was also listed by the COA report as among the 68 legislators that exceeded his allocation in 2008 by P3.0354M.

"I welcome an investigation on this matter", Cajes told the Chronicle, "the complete records of all PDAF transactions are with the House Committee on Appropriations".

-underscoring is poster's

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islander · « **Reply #3 on:** August 28, 2013, 03:02:47 PM »

Former 1st District Congressman now Governor Edgar Chatto had a total of P174.184M made available by DBM for his projects.

Chatto poured P119.884M into infrastructure projects while allocating P54.300M for health, education, livelihood and pro poor programs.

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islander · « **Reply #4 on:** August 28, 2013, 03:04:03 PM »

The former father and son congressmen, Eladio and Adam Relson Jala were allocated a total of P177.300M for projects in the 3rd District with now Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Commissioner Eladio Jala getting P43.100M for his pet projects in his last year as Congressman while now Tagbilaran City Councilor Adam Relson had P134.200M.

Both Jala's funded from their pork barrel P120M for infrastructure while allocating P57.300M for their pro poor projects.

The elder Jala served the 3rd District for nine years from 1998-2007 and his son for one term.

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islander · « **Reply #5 on:** August 28, 2013, 03:05:17 PM »

For the three year period covered by the audit report, a total of P1.890B pork barrel were allocated for the three districts in Bohol.

Each congressman gets P70M a year for his pet projects that is released to an implementing agency (IA) and distributed to so called accredited NGO's for implementation.

However, the COA report showed that the four congressmen's funds were channeled to dubious NGO's thru their apparent favorite Implementing GOCC, the National Agribusiness Corporation (NABCOR), an attached government corporation under the Department of Agriculture (DA).

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islander · « **Reply #6 on:** August 28, 2013, 03:07:49 PM »

The lucrative deals between the legislators and Non-Government Organizations (NGO) has also been scrapped and Government owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCC) involved in questionable PDAF projects abolished.

COA noted that significant amounts of PDAF received were merely transferred to NABCOR and its subsidiary, ZNAC Rubber Estate Corporation (ZREC) even if "the purpose of releases is no longer within the functions" of these corporations.

According to COA, funds released to the DA for farm implements, seeds, seedlings fertilizers and the like should not have been transferred to NABCOR and ZREC for this fall under the DA's functions.

Serving as a corporate arm of the DA, NABCOR spearheads agribusiness enterprise development in the rural areas to improve livelihood of small farmers and fisherfolks.

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islander · « **Reply #7 on:** August 28, 2013, 03:08:50 PM »

The DA Secretary during the audit period covered was Arthur Yap, now on his second term as congressman of the 3rd District.

The Chronicle did not receive any reply from Yap to the COA's findings on the DA's role during his term as DA secretary in the pork barrel controversy as promised by his staff.

Saying that NGO's were selected on the basis of the purported endorsement by the sponsoring legislators, the COA report bared that the four former congressmen placed their funds in the hands of 18 NGO's for projects worth P171.766M.

Eleven projects were released thru NABCOR, four to Technological Resource Center (TRC) and three went to the National Livelihood Development Center (NLDC).

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islander · « **Reply #8 on:** August 28, 2013, 03:11:23 PM »

COA figures showed that Cajes pork went to six NGO's with projects amounting to P65.960M with NABCOR as the implementing agency.

All the NGO's that implemented Cajes projects were dubious organizations - Buhay Mo, Mahal Ko Foundation, Inc (P9.7M); Gabay At Pag-asa ng Masa Fouindation, Inc GPMFI (P11.155M); Kabuhayan At Kalusugan Alay sa Masa Foundation, Inc.KKAMFI (P32.695) and Kapuso't Kapamilya Foundation, Inc KAPKFI (P12.610M)

When asked to respond, Cajes said "there was no way for us legislators to know if the NGO's that we recommend from the accredited ones are bogus or related to one another or controlled by a certain rogue".

Two of Cajes NGO's handling his projects, GPMFI and KKAMFI were found to be under a certain Godofredo G. Roque who appeared as Treasurer, Incorporator/Board of Director/CEO.

All of Cajes NGO's were alleged to be part of dubious organizations preying on legislators pork barrel.

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islander · « **Reply #9 on:** August 28, 2013, 03:13:56 PM »

Chatto's pork worth P51.360M was released to NABCOR, TRC and the NLDC and implemented by six NGO's.

The six NGO's were identified by the COA as GPMFI (P9.7M); KMFI (P8.820M); KKAMFI (P12.610M); KapKFI (P13.449M) and KMBFI (P6.790M)

KMBFI, KKAMFI and KMFI were also found to be part of an NGO with Roque as incorporator, Board of Director, stockholder and treasurer while the rest of Chatto's NGO's were of doubtful origin.

In a statement sent to the Chronicle, Chatto strongly denied involvement in any PDAF irregularity.

Chatto categorically stated that all his communications to implementing agencies of his pork barrel contains a proviso stating that prior to the start of all his projects NGO's must strictly comply will all auditing rules and regulations to qualify as project implementor.

A letter sent by Chatto to the COA reminding the agency that the condition precedent requiring compliance with COA rules, policies and guidelines were sorely missing.

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islander · « **Reply #10 on:** August 28, 2013, 03:16:49 PM »

Serving three years as 3rd District Congressman, Adam Relson Jala's pork was implemented by four NGO's and released thru NABCOR and the NLDC that totaled P32.086M.

Most of the NGO's handling the Bohol congressmen's funds were incorporated or managed by the same persons connected to as many as six NGO's, according to the COA report.

His father, SEC Commissioner Eladio Jala serving the last six months of his nine years in Congress spent P22.360M of his pork barrel thru the TRC and two NGO's.

Jala, the father funneled P22.360M to two NGO's - KKAMFI and KapKFI, both under questionable legal standings.

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islander · « **Reply #11 on:** August 28, 2013, 03:17:58 PM »

Commissioner Jala did not respond to a txt message sent by the Chronicle but Adam Relson Jala txted the Chronicle "My role in the projects was only in assisting and facilitating the release of the funds for the projects but not the implementation thereof or the identification of the NGO.

Jala pointed out that no funds pass his office and stressed that there were no ghost projects since livelihood training programs were actually conducted.

What started in 1989 as the Mindanao Development Fund and the Visayas Development Fund with a total appropriation of P720M became the Countrywide Development Fund (CDF) with an initial funding of P2.3B and was later called the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF)

The term pork barrel refers to a barrel of salt pork which in the 19th century was a measure of a family's wealth while pork barrel politics is funding for government projects whose benefits are concentrated in a local area.(CMV)

http://boholchronicle.com.ph/

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islander · « **Reply #12 on:** August 28, 2013, 03:36:48 PM »

how they fared, so far:

Cajes (released P158.115M)

"I welcome an investigation on this matter", Cajes told the Chronicle, "the complete records of all PDAF transactions are with the House Committee on Appropriations".

When asked to respond, Cajes said "there was no way for us legislators to know if the NGO's that we recommend from the accredited ones are bogus or related to one another or controlled by a certain rogue".

Chatto (released P174.184M)

In a statement sent to the Chronicle, Chatto strongly denied involvement in any PDAF irregularity.

Chatto categorically stated that all his communications to implementing agencies of his pork barrel contains a proviso stating that prior to the start of all his projects NGO's must strictly comply will all auditing rules and regulations to qualify as project implementor.

A letter sent by Chatto to the COA reminding the agency that the condition precedent requiring compliance with COA rules, policies and guidelines were sorely missing.

Jala, father and son (released P22.360M and P32.086M respectively)

Commissioner Jala did not respond to a txt message sent by the Chronicle but Adam Relson Jala txted the Chronicle "My role in the projects was only in assisting and facilitating the release of the funds for the projects but not the implementation thereof or the identification of the NGO.

Jala pointed out that no funds pass his office and stressed that there were no ghost projects since livelihood training programs were actually conducted.

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islander · « **Reply #13 on:** August 28, 2013, 03:46:02 PM »

so they didn't check the legality of the NGOs, nor even check the project sites whether billboards were put up with their smiling faces frozen for posterity announcing that those are their projects, aka epal?

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islander · « **Reply #14 on:** August 28, 2013, 03:53:46 PM »

Two of Cajes NGO's handling his projects, GPMFI and KKAMFI were found to be under a certain Godofredo G. Roque who appeared as Treasurer, Incorporator/Board of Director/CEO.

KMBFI, KKAMFI and KMFI were also found to be part of an NGO with Roque as incorporator, Board of Director, stockholder and treasurer while the rest of Chatto's NGO's were of doubtful origin.

who is godofredo g. roque? a cursory trip on the internet highway doesn't say much about him. some tidbits:

from a facebook account---

8 kwestyunableng NGO, pinapatakbo lang ng 11 personalidad.

Bukod kay Janet Lim-Napoles, ilan pang pangalan ang lumutang sa Special Audit ng COA na nakinabang sa PDAF ng ilang mambabatas.

MGA PATRIOTS BUKOD KAY NAPOLES NARITO ANG MGA PANGALAN NG 11 NA PERSONALIDAD NA MAY 8 KWESTYUNABLENG NGO NA NAGKAMAL DIN NG MILYUN-MILYONG PERA GALING SA PORK BARREL NG MGA MAMBABATAS.

1. MARILOU L. ANTONIO
2. GODOFREDO G. ROQUE
3. MARILOU C. FERRER
4. MIRAFLOR E. VILLANUEVA
5. MARIA L. APOLINARIO
6. FRANCISCA A. MERCADO
7. ALLAN L. CALMA
8. RUBY L. RAMOS
9. CARLOS SORIANO
10. JOEL L. SORIANO
11. JULIE ANN G. UNICO

IKALAT NATIN ANG MGA PANGALAN NG MGA ITO, NANG SA GANUN ANG MGA KAKILALA NG MGA ITO AT KAPITBAHAY AY MAKAPAG REPORT AGAD SA OTORIDAD KAPAG NAGSIMULA NA ANG SENATE INQUIRY UKOL SA PORK BARREL SCAM, AT LUMABAS NA ANG RESULTA NG IMBESTIGASYON NG NBI. DAPAT DI MAKALABAS NG BANSA ANG MGA ITO.

for more updates and info just like our page: Filipino's Patriotism.
-admin AKO PINOY

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islander · « **Reply #15 on:** August 28, 2013, 03:59:57 PM »

from a gma news item---

Seven foundations run by the same people

Among the COA's findings, one observation stood out: at least seven foundations allegedly involved in irregular transactions with the government are being run by the same individuals.

"Marilou L. Antonio was the Project Coordinator of Buhay Mo Mahal Ko Foundation, Inc. and Ikaw at Ako Foundation, Inc. and Chief Finance Officer of Kabuhayan at Kalusugang Alay Sa Masa while Marilou C. Ferrer was the Project Coordinator of Kapuso't Kapamilya Foundation, Inc. and Corporate Secretary of Kabuhayan at Kalusugang Alay sa Masa," COA observed in 2007.

In a 2008 audit, COA disclosed that Antonio, Ferrer and Godofredo G. Roque were also incorporators of Gabay at Pag-asa ng Masa Foundation, Inc., Kasangga sa Magandang Bukas Foundation, Inc. and Kaagapay Magpakailanman Foundation, Inc.

-more at http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/318925/news/specialreports/pork-racket-ngo-headed-by-luy-got-p225-m-from-da-s-corporate-arm

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islander · « **Reply #16 on:** August 28, 2013, 07:48:52 PM »

Chatto: Not involved in PDAF irregularity

Written by The Bohol Chronicle

Gov. Edgar M. Chatto has strongly denied involvement in any Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) irregularity during his stint as a Bohol congressman.

In the allocation of funds and implementation of projects, the then First District solon would always require compliance to standard government accounting and auditing rules and regulations.

The executions of projects were handled by the concerned implementing agencies of government.

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islander · « **Reply #17 on:** August 28, 2013, 07:49:46 PM »

In his letter to these agencies prior to any project implementation, Chatto had categorically stated that NGOs must comply with the standard auditing rules and regulations, policies and guidelines prescribed by law and the appropriate agencies to qualify as project implementer, the then congressman stressed.

Such a proviso, if not satisfied, would at the same time serve as a categorical objection to the participation of non-compliant bogus NGOs, much less the fake or bogus ones, Chatto emphasized.

The agencies concerned would know which organizations are accredited by them after passing their due diligence tests and criteria.

Chatto welcomed the audit report which the Commission on Audit (COA) promised to furnish all legislators after its completion to clear the names of those who are not involved.

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islander · « **Reply #18 on:** August 28, 2013, 07:50:12 PM »

He noticed that in the COA Special Audit Report for 2007-2009, the condition precedent requiring compliance with COA rules, policies and guidelines was missing.

Chatto thus sent a letter to COA bringing to its attention the absent proviso.

The compliance should necessarily include the authenticity, legitimacy and accreditation of the NGOs.

As a rule, a lawmaker is not supposed to meddle in project implementation.

http://boholchronicle.com.ph/

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islander · « **Reply #19 on:** August 28, 2013, 08:28:55 PM »

there seems to be one thread in the ex-solons' defense: it is not for them to know or check whether the NGOs are legal or not. they now seem to be passing the buck back to the executive branch of government, like the implementing agencies.

questions: who asks these solons to fund projects through their PDAFs? do they have the funds released only if they are asked? does this mean that those billboards and streamers announcing to one and all that those are their projects come from the goodness of the implementors' hearts?

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chicogon · « **Reply #20 on:** August 29, 2013, 12:24:09 AM »

That's why they call it SCAM, cheating and deception with a legal appearance or look on it. This type of corruption is or was embedded in the system (systemic). No paper trace. It's otherwise known as "SOP..." meaning, whoever or whichever agency who process or expedite the release of such budget (for a particular project or program), percentage(s) ALREADY or AUTOMATICALLY goes to the BURSE of a particular politician, agency or contractor or its agent (porsyento)... while the final recipient of such budget will DO the LIQUIDATING of the whole amount disbursed KUNOHAY. Believe me, they know what is going on!!! They lie IN OUR FACE!!! Contractors tell the truth... But they gave to go along to SURVIVE!!! Sad but reality in life!!! Sorry but I wasn't born last night

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islander · « **Reply #21 on:** August 29, 2013, 12:50:05 AM »

heaven help us. what that stolen money (limited, as yet, to 3 years as reported by the coa) could have done to our infrastructures. kun gitunong lang unta ang kwarta, wow...

"we are a rich country pretending to be poor," a marcos lackey had said in the old days. well, it looks like we have moved on to become a rich country governed by thieves who make us poor.

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Lorenzo · « **Reply #22 on:** August 30, 2013, 05:27:03 AM »

I stand by Governor Chatto. He is a good man and a noble politician.

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