Another multi-billion scam?

[explorer]

Agri chief grilled on P3-B irrigation funds

September 07, 2007
Updated 23:20:49 (Mla time)
Christian V. Esguerra
Inquirer

A MILITANT lawmaker Friday questioned Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap over the purported release of at least P3 billion in irrigation funds during the campaign period for the May 2007 elections.

Speaking during the House budget deliberations, Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo said the funds were released in two batches--P500 million in January and P2.6 billion in March.

He noted its similarity to the controversial release of fertilizer funds during the May 2004 elections. He was referring to the P2.8 billion fertilizer scam allegedly involving former agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn "Joc-Joc" Bolante.

"I hope this time in irrigation, it won't happen again," Ocampo said.

Yap, who attended the budget hearings to justify his department's proposed P25.9 billion budget for 2008, explained that the timing of the release of the funds was merely "coincidental" with the May 2007 elections.

"But that's really the period when we needed to repair (irrigation facilities) because there was no rain," he told the lawmaker. "The dry season is the best time to undertake all infrastructure repairs for irrigation."

Speaking to the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net) at the sidelines of the budget hearing, Danilo Ramos, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas secretary general, said the P500 million was a loan by the National Irrigation Authority.

The P2.6 billion came from the national appropriation this year, he said.

Ramos showed a document purportedly showing that the P2.6 billion was intended for 37 "focus provinces."

These include Kalinga, Pangasinan, Ilocos Norte, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, Aurora, Quezon, Occidental and Oriental Mindoro, Albay, Camarines Sur, Capiz, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, and Bohol.

"There are basically two questions here," Ramos said. "Was the money really spent for the projects and how come it was released during the campaign period?"

The funding for irrigation was highlighted during the committee on appropriation deliberation, partly because it was also the priority of the proposed 2008 budget of the agriculture department.

The allocation for irrigation was increased from P7.4 billion this year to P8.8 billion next year, accounting for 44 percent of the total agriculture budget.

[akal]

dapat talaga gayahin ang china, bitay sa mga corrupt na opisyal.

[carscout]

Everybody are concocting their own program (and they're very good in defending it) just to get a big chunk of the fiscal budget so that they can fill their individual savings account with millions of money.

All I can say is, parasites gets hungry every end of the year