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Drag name of Cong. Yap in agriculture fund mess



T The name of Cong. Arthur Yap of the third district was dragged in the latest fund scandal involving the Agricultural Competitiveness Fund (ACEF). The third district solon’s alleged involvement in the fund irregularities was in his capacity as former secretary of the Department of Agriculture. The latest fund mess was one of the many irregularities in the DA during the Arroyo administration of which Yap was one of its Cabinet secretaries. As thias developed, a party list lawmaker urged his colleagues in the House of Representatives to investigate the reported irregularities concerning ACEF. In a press statement sent to house beat reporters in Congress, Anakpawis (Toiling Masses) Rep. Rafael Mariano asked the House Committee on Agriculture and Food chaired by Batangas Rep. Mark Leandro Mendoza to investigate the status of the Agricultural Competitiveness Fund (ACEF), especially with new evidences of irregularities in the use of the P10-billion agriculture fund intended to help small farmers and fisherfolks during the administration of former President, now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

On May 17, 2011, Mariano filed House Resolution 1270 seeking a congressional inquiry into the status of ACEF, including the disbursements made, loan balances, interests gained from each loan, individual/ corporation/ organization/ cooperative which availed of the fund and beneficiaries of ACEF funded projects. “The Committee hasn't called for any inquiry since our office filed the resolution. Now that there are new evidences coming out on the previous administration's 'misuse and abuse of funds' intended for farmers and fisherfolks, it is high time for the Committee on Agriculture and Food to investigate the issue,” said Mariano. “The Committee must schedule a hearing as soon as Congress resumes session next week,” he added. Mariano who also chairs militant peasant group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP). The party-list solon added that he expected the Committee to 'summon' former DA secretary, now Bohol Rep. Arthur Yap, to explain before Committee members and to stakeholders, his knowledge and involvement on the alleged anomalous disbursement of the ACEF. “Rep. Yap's membership in the Committee does not automatically exempt him from scrutiny by his colleagues in the Lower House as well as farmers and fisherfolk groups who want to know the truth. A congressional probe is the best venue for Rep. Yap to explain how ACEF was spent during his term as agriculture secretary.” The Arroyo administration have made a milking cow out of billions of funds allocated for the agriculture sector.

“The 728-million fertilizer fund scam in 2004 is only the tip of the iceberg. Arroyo and her ilk have benefited so much from agri funds.” ACEF's 10-year life-span should have expired in December 2007, but Yap, then DA Secretary, extended the funding until 2015 with an allocation of additional P6-billion. Yap is also being involved with several borrowers and beneficiaries that availed of the funds. The activist-solon also reiterated that DA Secretary Proceso Alcala must continue the suspension of the implementation of ACEF, pending investigations by the Senate and Lower House. Alcala previously said DA will soon resume providing credit assistance to organized groups of farmers, fisherfolk, and agri-fishery entrepreneurs under the new ACEF implementing guidelines. Based on the new guidelines, final loan approvals will no longer be the exclusive authority of the DA Secretary, but will now include the concurrence of the chairpersons of the Committee on Agriculture and Food at the Senate and Lower House. The ACEF - created in 1996 under Republic Act No. 8178 - is a pool of funds consisting mainly of the duties or taxes collected from the imports various of agricultural and fishery products, except rice, covered under the minimum access volume (MAV) mechanism. The fund shall be set aside and earmarked by Congress for irrigation, farm-to-market roads, post harvest equipment and facilities, credit, research and development, other marketing infrastructure, provision of marketing information, retraining extension services and other forms of assistance and support to the agriculture sector.

No moral ascendancy

Mariano's colleague in the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) supported his call for the House of Representatives to immediately probe the controversial P10-billion Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (Acef) that was allegedly drained during the administration of President Arroyo. The KMP issued the statement after Senator Edgardo Angara called on the Senate oversight committee on agriculture to conduct a performance audit on Acef and draw a list of its beneficiaries. KMP deputy secretary general Randall Echanis said the House should immediately probe what he described as the “multi-billion plunder of the decade” involving agricultural funds. “Sen. Angara has no moral ascendancy to conduct a probe on the Acef funds because he himself is among those accused of benefiting from the funds. It appears that Angara has been used to practicing conflict of interest,” says Echanis noting that Angara is a member of the Senate panel of the Congressional Oversight Committee on Agricultural and Fisheries Modernization.

Recent reports said that an audit by the agriculture department found that Aurora, Angara’s province, benefited from two grants from Acefâ€"P200 mililon in 2008 for the concreting of the Baler-Casiguran Highway and P100 million in 2007 for the Aurora State University for a project called Enhancement of Technology-Based Agribusiness Industry. Echanis also assailed former DA secretary Arthur Yap’s statement that “low repayment rate does not make the Acef a failure or a scam.” “It is the height of callousness for Yap to simply dismiss the reports that only big businesses and corrupt bureaucrats benefited from the Acef while farmers suffer from the brunt of the massive flooding of imported agricultural products in the local market,” the peasant leader said. “Filipino farmers affected by the impacts of agricultural trade liberalization are more than willing to testify that we did not receive a single cent from the Acef,” Echanis said. Echanis said House Resolution 1270 filed by KMP chairperson and Anakpawis party-list Rafael Mariano last May 17, 2011 is already pending before the lower House.

HR 1270 states that “a document from the Department of Agriculture (DA) revealed that as of September 2010, the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ACEF) totalled to more or less P10.6 billion while the total amount of ACEF-Execom approved activities/projects totalled to more or less P8.6 billion.” “However, the document did not disclose the specific activities/projects that were funded by Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ACEF) as well as the specific proponents of these activities/projects,” the Anakpawis resolution stated. It added that “as of September 2010, the ACEF-assistance in the form of loan amounted to more or less P5.9 billion (69.64%) and ACEF-assistance in the form of grant amounted to more or less P2.5 billion (30.36%).” “The status of the Fund including the disbursements made therefrom, the loan balances, interests gained from each loan, individual/corporation/organization/cooperative which availed of the Fund, if there is any, and projects wherein the Fund was used along with the beneficiaries of these projects need to be disclosed in order to determine whether the objectives of the law have been met,” states HR 1270.

YAP REACTION

Sought for his reaction, Cong. Yap e-mailed to the Post a long explaination including the beneficiaries of the ACEF. He cited the following companies which availed of the ACEF money: 1) Hi-las Marketing (Roberto Amores, president; president, Philippine Food Exporters PHILFOODEX) “HI-LAS is one of the established processors of fruits and vegetables products in the local agriculture industry. We have been in the market for more than 25 years. We supply mango products all over the world and vegetables specifically to Japan. However, to compete, we needed to secure ACEF funds to modernize our operations in FTI, Taguig. We did not take any short cuts.

We had to pass the strict critera and the technical evaluations. We were approved fair and square without paying kickbacks. We amortized our loan schedules and just requested for a postponement due to a setback in our main market as a result of a chemical residue incident in our Japan mango exports which seriously affected our financial position. Our request for postponement was approved and are covered by post-dated checks. This does not mean we are a failure or the project is a failure because in our industry, the weather, disease and pest out-breaks are so much a factor in our operations. We can always be given extensions which is allowed even by private banks so why not the government when this program is for us in the industry? But we can bounce back as long as we have the support of government and our customers. I can say this with confidence because I have met these problems myself. This is so unfair to us.”

2) Gemsun Marketing ( MARTIN OZAETA, president)

“This issue is not fair since this will create a bad reputation for us. We patiently participated in all agri activities for us to be recognized and our project proposal was scrutinized thoroughly by the different ACEF committees, from the regional to the national committees. We badly needed the loan for us to compete in the market and to reduce trading layers so that consumers can avail of lower priced eggs in the market. They can check on the project and the repayment scheme and also our egg stall in MEGA QMART, which is giving the lowest priced eggs in the area today because of our ACEF loan. There is no such thing as kickbacks. They can also check on the feasibility study of the project and find out for themselves if it would still be operational if a certain amount of will be slashed-off for that alleged kickbacks. This will not work if we still had to pay kickbacks. Everyone is much welcome to visit our place in San Jose City, Batangas. What we have is not a ghost project.”

3) Pamora Farms(MRS. TINA PAPILLON, President)

“The ACEF funds greatly helped us become competitive. Despite that Abra is landlocked, we can produce top quality free range French bred chickens for the local and very soon, the export markets. Nobody asked kickbacks from us…those claiming they paid kickbacks are maybe those with incomplete documents and did not get their loan application approved. Fixers are everywhere and we must be very careful. Allegations must be supported with evidence. Our project is not a ghost project. Anyone is welcome to see us in ABRA. We hardly know past and even present DA officials as we work with regional DA office, DA-CAR, our project loan to ACEF was approved after compliance to all ACEF requirements. It is so unfair that allegations are so broad.”

4) QUEENS AGRO-INDUSTRIAL FARMS, INC. (MR. ALBERT LIM, President and Chairman of the Philippine Hog Federation, Inc.)

“What kickbacks are they talking about? Nobody asked kickbacks from me. I was given an extension for repayments because we needed some extra time to stabilize our operations. I got that approval during the time of Sec. Bernie Fondevilla, Yap had already resigned by then. Anyway, the DA is holding my post-dated checks for security. But even with ACEF, we will not be competitive if smuggling continues of pork products in the local market.”

STATEMENT ON THE ACEF FUNDS

Congressman Arthur Yap, 3rd District Bohol September 21, 2011 Let me make my comments about the ACEF:

What is the ACEF? The ACEF is not some DA creation. The Agriculture Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ACEF) is created under Republic Act No. 9496 and consists of all duties collected from the importation of agricultural products under the minimum access volume (MAV) mechanism. The Fund was created as one of the safety net provisions that our Government set up for the agriculture sector for our accession into the WTO in 1995. The ACEF was called a “Competitiveness Enhancement Fund” because it is primarily for increased productivity of our commodity producers for which reason, the law allows the fund to be used for a broad range of purposes like: irrigation, farm to market roads, post harvest equipment and facilities, credit, research and development, other marketing infrastructure, provision of marketing information, re-training, extension services, young entrepreneurs, out of school youth, graduates of agriculture, fisheries and other infrastructure including access as well and establishment of transport mechanism towards speedy delivery of products.

The case being that the Fund was primarily set up as a safety net, the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the ACEF, allows it to be collateral-free and interest free. The original IRR was approved long before I became Secretary of Agriculture. Any allegations to the effect that I extended the program or expanded it according to my terms, has no legal basis. I do not have that power. Only Congress has the power to legislate the extension, the terms or modification of the law. The Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Acef were drafted pursuant to law and submitted for approval to the Congressional Over-Sight Committee on Fisheries and Agriculture Modernization (COCAFAM). The Cocafam counts the private sector, the DA, Senators and Congressmen as members.

On my initiative, ALL LOANS RELEASED ARE COVERED BY CROP INSURANCE AND POST-DATED CHECKS DEPOSITED IN THE LANDBANK to protect the fund while the approval process mandates going through a minimum of two levels: the Regional Technical Committee and the National Technical Committee. The National Technical Committee has for its members, private sector representatives and the Landbank, among others. In certain cases, the loan proposal is brought up to the EXECOM for deliberation. The EXECOM counts the private sector, Senators and Congressmen for members. This would be a third level for approvals.

Therefore, I merely implemented the Law according to approved guidelines. There are procedures followed in the dispensing of funds. The alternative would have been to do nothing and that would have been the tragedy. The banner headline that P 10 billion in funds were “drained” is misleading and baseless. Allegations were made that certain borrowers were favored like: Mr. Lyndon Tan of Basic Necessity, GEMSUN Marketing and Hi-Las Marketing, to name a few. Let me state for the record that Mr. Tan’s ACEF loan WAS NOT APPROVED DURING MY TERM. Furthermore, Mr. Tan is a reputable agri-entrepreneur having been selected last year as one of Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneurs of the Year. In the case of GEMSUM and HI-LAS, these are beneficiaries with a proven track record in the agriculture industry. GEMSUM, based in San Jose City, Batanggas is now producing 200,000 eggs daily because of ACEF, while HI-Las is a long-standing exporter of mangoes and vegetable products. The President of Hi-Las is Mr. Roberto Amores, President of PHILFOODEX. The mango products bought in COSTCO, USA are supplied by Hi-Las.

If there are allegations of kickbacks attendant on the Program, those asking for commissions must be named and the allegations against them proven in the proper forum lest this be unfair to the many hardworking and honest personnel of the DA. It is true that I encouraged the UBRA to avail of these funds in my belief that these funds can better help the smaller poultry producers compete in the market. It was never brought to my attention that kickbacks were being solicited from them. Pains have been made to highlight the alleged negative side of the Program, but what about the hundreds of others who benefitted from this program? Why is nobody talking about the many whose agri-businesses flourished because of the ACEF? The DA must come out and reveal these success stories to balance the picture on ACEF. A low repayment rate does not make the ACEF Program anomalous or a failure. There may well be other reasons to re-think or re-study the ACEF but it must be done objectively sparing us all the political agenda behind the current moves. Thank you and I hope these comments will help in presenting a more balance view of the ACEF Program.

Yap defends P17B anomaly
September 25,2011



Former Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap, now 3rd District Representative asked for fairness on the broiling controversies over alleged billion peso anomalies on the implementation of agriculture programs under his watch â€" the P7.5B "ghost" farm to market road and the most recent the alleged P10 billion mishandling of funds under the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ACEF) or RA 9496.






Yap, interviewed by DYRD "Inyong Alagad", categorically stated "there was no dissipation of funds" branding as "misleading and baseless" reports that the P10 billion funds were drained from the ACEF while crying foul over accusations of P7.5B irregular fund disbursements for farm to market roads released shortly after he left the Department of Agriculture (DA).






Yap, reacting to moves to pin him down on the Agriculture Department's alleged mishandling of funds during his term told the Chronicle that "it must be done objectively sparing us all the political agenda behind the current moves".






Yap, as DA secretary, was generally known by many as within the elite Cabinet "inner circle" of the former president Gloria M. Arroyo.






Yap expressed grave concern on the manner investigations are being conducted regarding alleged funds misuse of the Agriculture Department pleading to probers not to engage in a witch hunt.






YAP POINTS FINGER TO CONGRESS



Yap pointed out that the Department of Agriculture (DA) has been providing the oversight committees of both Senate and Congress status reports on the ACEF.






"Congress cannot say they don't know what is happening to ACEF. They know. If they don’t understand â€" banat kaagad. Hindi naman tama yun," bemoaned Yap.






"When there is a program you want to question, go ahead, look for the truth, and if there is a problem there is a time to ask for accountabilities."






ACEF is a special purpose fund, sourced from duties collected from importation of agri products and used for a wide range of agricultural activities.






Yap also denounced the Senate Oversight Committee for implicating him on the alleged anomalous release of P7.5B for farm to market roads â€" "Let's be fair. I left the DA February 2010. The questioned disbursements were in January 2010 to June 2010. If there was anything irregular it was not under my watch".






Yap left the Arroyo Cabinet in order to run for the third district of Bohol after the then incumbent congressman Adam Jala's father â€" Eladio â€" who was seeking re-entry into Congress, quit his political move, apparently contented with the rank of Commissioner at the SEC (Security and Exchange Commission) given to him by the Arroyo administration.






Uncowed by the accusations, Yap lashed back saying "Anybody with a sense of justice and fairness knows. Calibrate your attack and your response".






Yap formally handed over the reins of the DA to DA Usec Atty. Bernie G. Fondevilla last March 10, 2010.






FARM TO MARKET ROADS



Yap emphasized that all DA funds for farm to market roads, driers, ports and other agri projects were downloaded directly to the LGU's, Barangay Captains and the DPWH for implementation.






"Our disbursements were a model to the whole country since we gave the funds to those who have the expertise in the projects. We did not have a hand in the implementation.".






But public perception on his involvement on the mishandling of agri funds has turned negative in view of his perceived closeness to former President Arroyo who is facing several cases of alleged plunder of government funds






Majority of texters and callers to "Radio Merkado" believed that Yap, as cabinet secretary, dipped his hands into billions of funds in his more than four years as DA secretary. Even before the investigation, such anomalies in the past were derisively called "farm to pocket" roads by detractors.






Yap is the longest serving Agriculture secretary in the Arroyo administration having sat as "food czar" starting in August 2004 â€" July, 2005, Oct 2006 to March 2010.



ACEF FUNDS



Questions were raised on the implementation of the ACEF reportedly plagued with ghost borrowers, favored borrowers, kickbacks for quick loan releases and the availment of ACEF funds in total disregard of program guidelines.






Yap stressed that "I merely implemented the law according to approved guidelines. There are procedures followed in the dispensing of funds".






Reacting to accusations of favoring certain borrowers, Yap said that all ACEF fund beneficiaries are industry leaders with proven track records in agriculture.






Several companies who benefited from ACEF funding are now successful egg producers, mango exporters and vegetable growers including one from Loboc and several beneficiaries from Bohol, Yap said.






These companies, thru ACEF were able to compete in the market by accessing funds with minimal interest and collateral requirements, added Yap.






Yap lamented the manner in which his detractors have taken pains to highlight the negative side of the Program while ignoring the hundreds who benefited from ACEF.






"Why is nobody talking about the many whose agri businesses flourished because of the ACEF? The DA must come out and reveal these success stories to balance the picture on ACEF"






But according to COA reports, borrowers who did not reply to confirmation letters sent by the government had loan balances totaling P2.1B, those who returned the letters to the agency for various reasons had total balances of



P370M and loan beneficiaries with total borrowings of P66.4M failed to pay back their loans due to closure of their companies badly hit by typhoons and included firms that no longer exist.






According to Senator Franklin Drilon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, some P2.5B were given to "ghost borrowers".






But Yap countered "a low repayment rate does not make the ACEF Program anomalous or a failure. There may well be other reasons to re-think or re-study the ACEF but it must be done objectively".






Yap, who seldom makes himself available to the local media, gave a rare but exclusive radio interview over DYRD last Thursday during the launching of his HEART project - free flu shots for over 4,500 teachers in the 3rd and 1st districts and Bikathon covering the 3rd district. (CMV)

maau unta ma preso n c tonggressman yap ky maayo lang ning tagaloga mo pasalig.....namaylo na intawn ko ug kwarta ky na short ko sa ni agi semester ky gasalig ko nga na apil pa ko sa iya skolarship program wa naman d i! sukad pag 1st yr nako hantod 3rd yr scholar man ko n jala unya sa dihang c tonggressman yap nay nag lingkod na wa na man ko sa list sa scholar sa 3rd district pag ka way ayo!!! dili lang ky ako kami tanan wa me kadawat check pag second sem...kami tanan skolar ni yap!!! gasalig na me ato nga check para unta ma gamay gamayan na amo kulang sa school..

By Cherry Pie Eggpie Sandoval, Gerry Albert Corpuz and Billy Javier Reyes
MANILA, Philippines â€"“How come the mastermind of the P 728-million fertilizer fund scam is not included in the plunder complaint filed by the Office of the Ombudsman before the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court? This is the biggest miscarriage of justice in the new millennium.”
The left-leaning fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), one of the complainants in the P 728-million fertilizer fund scam raised this question to acting Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro who yesterday ordered the filing of plunder charges against former agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn “Jocjoc” Bolante, former agriculture secretary Luis Lorenzo and assistant secretary Ibarra Poliquit.
“The case should be billed People of the Philippines versus former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her league of plunderers. But in this case, the Office of the Ombudsman exonerates the mastermind to pave way for the eventual grand dismissal of the case before the Sandiganbayan court,” said Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap in a press statement.
“It seems to us the non-inclusion of former President Arroyo in the plunder cases in connection with the P 728-million fertilizer fund scam is part of the de facto compromise agreement between the Aquino gangland and Arroyo syndicate,” he added.
Hicap said acting Ombudsman Casimiro has done a great injustice to millions of farmers, fisherfolk and the Filipino taxpayers for excluding former President Arroyo in the plunder cases to be filed at Sandiganbayan.
“It is public knowledge that Mrs. Arroyo is the principal orchestrator of the P 728-million fertilizer fund scam. It is supported by earth shaking evidences and undeniable facts and figures. The acting Ombudsman merely acted in behalf of Arroyo in this case,” the Pamalakaya leader added.
Hicap said his group, together with other complainants--- the peasant group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and the Amihan national federation of peasant women filed a motion for reconsideration last month before the Ombudsman office to consider the inclusion of GMA in the plunder suit to be filed before the anti-graft court.
“This is unfair, very unfair to millions of farmers and rural people whose collective names and souls were used by the Arroyo group of plunders in the national raid of public funds for political purposes during the May 2004 national elections,” the Pamalakaya official added.
Casimiro yesterday also ordered the filing of plunder charges against private fertilizer suppliers Jaime Eonzon Paule, Marilyn Araos, Joselito Flordeliza, Marites Aytona, Jose Barredo and Leonicia Marco-Llarena.
The acting Ombudsman chief also denied the motions for reconsiderations filed by former Quezon City Rep. Nanette Castelo-Daza, former Marinduque Gov. Carmencita Reyes and former Catanduanes Gov. Leandro Verceles.
The plunder case against Arroyo is the first case by Pamalakaya and other groups before the Office of the Ombudsman. On January 6, 2010, the fisherfolk group filed another plunder case against Arroyo and former agriculture secretary now Bohol Rep. Arthur Yap in connection with the P 455-million ice-making machines purchased by the agriculture department at P 4.6 million per unit, which is P 2.3 million higher or 100 percent overpriced.
Pamalakaya said the government bought 98 units of ice-making machines, but the whereabouts of these overpriced ice-making freezers have yet to be disclosed by Secretary Proceso Alcala, prompting the group to call the P 455-million ice-making project a case of ghost delivery.

Quote from: hubag bohol on July 08, 2011, 05:47:33 PM
Tsk, tsk, tsk, delikado kon masobraan kahugot unya apilan pag muscle control, basin mahimong ground meat ang atong ugat mayor...

mao na!!!! lami na igo2x ra gud..! mag sakit o n major ana!!! =)

e hinay2x lang para d mag tikuka!

naa pa si ARTHUR YAP i apil!!!! labaw pang k******n!

 Third District Representative and former agriculture secretary Arthur Yap is willing to cooperate with government investigators to bare everything he knows on the alleged P728-million fertilizer fund scam, offering himself as state witness.

However, the fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) brushed off Yap’s statement as “a bad joke” as the group instead urged the solon to face the plunder case they filed on January 6 at the Office of the Ombudsman.

"Rep. Yap is giving the public a bad joke. Why offer himself as state witness to the P728 million fertilizer fund scam when he is also charged before the Office of the Ombudsman with plunder and other high crimes of corruption?" Fernando Hicap, Pamalakaya national chair said in a statement.

ANGAY PA BA NI CJA BOTARAN INIG PA RE-ELECT ANI NIJA!?

Now the target of a formal investigation under the Truth Commission, created by President Benigno Aquino III to probe supposed anomalies during the administration of former president and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

President Aquino has named former chief justice Hilario Davide to head the commission.

After Yap’s former boss and predecessor in the Department of Agriculture (DA), then agriculture secretary Cito Lorenzo who has returned to the country, has expressed willingness to serve as state witness in the course of the investigation, the Bohol solon also declared that he is ready to testify on the scam, also as state witness.

Former agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn “Joc-joc” Bolante had testified that Lorenzo authorized him to “download money” for the purchase of fertilizer and farm implements in 2004. The money was purportedly funneled to the campaign kitty of the then president Arroyo.

"He was my predecessor. I worked closely with the man. I believe he knows what he wants to do so we just have to respect and support him whatever his decisions will be," Yap said in an interview with reporters at the House of Representatives.

Yap, a first-term congressman, attended the orientation given to neophyte lawmakers.

Asked how he would cooperate with any investigation, he said, "I've always cooperated with any government agency. When I was DA secretary, all files needed regarding that case, we surrendered. We attended all the hearings called by the House and the Senate. We've always cooperated with them."

Yap, who assumed the post in October 2005, said he was not involved in the fertilizer project when the scam happened in 2004, before the presidential elections.

"I was not in the DA at that time, in the sense that I did not hold any plantilla position. In fact, he [Lorenzo] pulled me out of NFA and designated [me] as undersecretary for Luzon operations to help him, so that's my role during the time that he was secretary of the department," Yap explained.

"FACE OWN SCAM"

“Yap should face the charges on anomalous deals of agriculture department under his watch instead of offering himself to become a state witness on the fertilizer fund mess,” stressed Hicap.

On January 6, Hicap and colleague Salvador France, vice chairperson of Pamalakaya, Anakpawis party list Reps. Rafael Mariano and Joel Maglunsod and Anakpawis secretary general Cherry Clemente filed a plunder case against then agriculture secretary Yap, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and other agriculture officials in connection with the P 455 million ice making machines which complainants said were overpriced by P2.3 million per unit.

Aside from the P455 million ice making scandal, there were other plunder and corruption complaints filed against Rep. Yap in connection with missing and highly questionable disbursement of agriculture funds during his term as secretary of agriculture, according to the Pamalakaya official.

"We ask the public to check the records of the Office of the Ombudsman and discover for themselves the strings of corruption cases hurled against him and his boss -- former President Arroyo. It always pays to check the record and the label of Yap as Arroyo's favorite Cabinet member then," said Pamalakaya.

Recently, President Aquino hinted that former agriculture secretary Lorenzo would be tapped to serve as state witness.

Earlier, Pamalakaya's Hicap also rejected the idea of having Lorenzo as state witness on the P728-million fertilizer fund scam, saying the report of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee which investigated the case was enough to indict former President Arroyo, former agriculture under secretary Jocelyn "Jocjoc" Bolante and Lorenzo as perpetrators of plunder, a crime punishable by reclusion perpetua.