P27B of seized Marcos funds gone, Senate told

[explorer]

P27B of seized Marcos funds gone, Senate told
Budget dep’t says only P5B remains for CARP

First posted 01:33am (Mla time) Jan 24, 2006
By Philip C. Tubeza
Inquirer

THE P27 BILLION for land reform drawn from the P35 billion in Swiss bank deposits of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos, which the government got hold of in 2004, is now “practically gone,” a budget official told the Senate yesterday.

Nora C. Oliveros, a director at the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), said only P5 billion remained of the confiscated Marcos wealth after P8 billion was set aside to compensate the human rights victims of martial law.

However, the remaining P5 billion will be used by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) this year.

“(It’s) practically gone, your Honor,” Oliveros said during the Senate hearing on the DBM budget.

Senate President Franklin Drilon ordered DBM officials to explain why and how the Marcos funds were used, including P4.9 billion that was released right before the May 2004 elections.

He surmised that part of it went to the P728-million fertilizer fund that the Department of Agriculture (DA) released just before the elections allegedly to help finance the campaign of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

“So, the Marcos wealth is all finished. The P35 billion is all spent because you need P16 billion this year (for CARP) and you have only P5 billion left. So, the P35 billion is all spent,” Drilon said.

“Yes, your Honor,” Oliveros said.

Budget Secretary Romulo Neri said a total of $718.76 million (equivalent to P35 billion) was turned over to the national government after the Supreme Court ruled in November 2003 that the Marcos funds stashed in Swiss banks were ill-gotten.

Oliveros said P13.11 billion was allotted for CARP in 2004 and another P8.9 billion was released in 2005, leaving a balance of about P13 billion for this year.

But with P8 billion set aside for the human rights victims, the government is left with P5 billion, which falls short of the P16-billion CARP budget for this year.

“So, out of the P35 billion originally allocated, only P5 billion is left net of human rights compensation allotment. Is that correct?” Drilon said.

“It’s correct, your Honor,” Oliveros said.

Bills to compensate victims

The government, however, cannot compensate the human rights victims until Congress passes a law allowing the use of the proceeds from ill-gotten wealth cases for purposes other than land reform.

Under Republic Act No. 6657, or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL) of 1988, all ill-gotten wealth recovered from the Marcoses and their cronies should be spent on land reform.

Bills seeking to indemnify the human rights victims have been stuck in the House of Representatives whose members include Marcos daughter Imee and his supporters.

The government has recovered a total of P60.8 billion in ill-gotten wealth from the Marcoses and their cronies since 1986, Nick Suarez, information officer of the Presidential Commission on Good Government, said yesterday.

For locally funded products

Drilon ordered the DBM officials to explain the P4.91 billion released from the Marcos funds on April 26, 2004, saying that part of it might have been used for “fertilizers.”

Neri said the P4.91 billion was released to the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Land Registration Authority and the Land Bank of the Philippines, “among others.”

A total of P544 million went to the DAR’s hybrid rice program while P475 million was allotted to “locally funded projects.”

“These (locally funded projects) are various projects implemented by the Department of Agrarian Reform. Most of these are farm-to-market roads,” Oliveros said.

“Not fertilizer? Or does it include fertilizer?” Drilon asked.

“To my knowledge, your Honor,” Oliveros said, “it does not include fertilizer.”

P2.6 billion for salaries

Drilon also questioned the propriety of the release of P2.6 billion for “operational support,” adding that using Marcos funds to pay for government salaries might be improper.

“Is this a proper disbursement? Marcos wealth, which is designed for CARP, used to pay for the salaries of the bureaucracy? Is that justified?” Drilon said.

Oliveros defended the allotment, saying that “operational support” included administrative expenses in CARP operations.

“These are personnel, your Honor, that are working for CARP,” she said.

But Drilon retorted: “My dear Director Oliveros, the whole DAR would be composed of personnel working for CARP. Don’t try to butter this thing up.”

Oliveros explained that there were “two classifications” for CARP personnel -- those who received their salaries from the government’s general fund and those who drew their wages from the Marcos ill-gotten wealth.

10,000 personnel

“Your Honor, these were the personnel who were hired when the agrarian reform program was started and implemented by the national government,” she said.

“There were about 10,000 CARP personnel who were hired solely for the Agrarian Reform Program, and they are the ones whose salaries and wages are charged against (the Marcos funds),” she said.

Drilon said he would “double-check” whether the DBM was authorized to spend the Marcos funds for “operation expenses.”

“No wonder you perpetually had this program at hand because your 10,000 personnel depended on it. The program is perpetual because the moment you complete the program, you abolish [the] DAR,” he said.

[nugundam93]

holy shyt. yeeek. not good.

[theveed]

... and we're supposed to be "surprised" about this?

[mazdamazda]

errr... so? napunta naman sa CARP dba? masyado lang OA ang mga headlines kasi.

[niky]

whoops... there goes my third salary... na-bisto na kami! :lol:

[1D4LV]

... a portion of which is pinamasahe nila FGMA, Mikey Arroyo, Cong. Fuentebella, Cong. Nograles and Chavit sa states para manood ng laban ni pacquiao.

... sama na rin ang overnight stay nila sa isang mamahaling hotel sa las vegas...

[pparado]

oops double post....

[pparado]

... and we're supposed to be "surprised" about this?

I was gonna say....

di naman kataka-taka yan e...

juskoday, Pilipinas pa! (nakakalungkot man isipin...yan ang katotohanan)

[jedi]

mukhang may natira pa para magamit sa 2007 elections kung sakasakali .... tsktsktsk

[1D4LV]

He surmised that part of it went to the P728-million fertilizer fund that the Department of Agriculture (DA) released just before the elections allegedly to help finance the campaign of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.


my sister, who is in new york right now saw how Jok-jok bolante, who is the instigator for this 728 M fertilizer fund, lives...

per my sister, this guy took his family out shopping to all branded shops in new york and shopped until they are tired....

and they stayed at a $ 450/night room at the Hilton for two weeks... (450*53*14= P 333,900).

and again, per my sister, the son drives a Humvee there....

ang kapal ng mukha...

teka, OT na ata ako..