DOJ chief uses up P23.6-M witness program fund in six months

In a period of six months, Justice Secretary Hernando Perez used up P23.6 million in Witness Protection Program (WPP) funds, making him the biggest spender of intelligence appropriations in the history of the department.

Documents obtained by The STAR showed that from February to July this year, P22 million of the total amount went to Perez’s chief of staff Pamela Lazatin-Escobar, who received five Land Bank of the Philippines checks. The checks were either for P3.5 million or P5 million – the biggest WPP disbursements ever.

Perez admitted the Department of Justice (DOJ) needed more funds because of the higher number of witnesses, but denied there was any anomaly in intelligence fund spending, which he says passes the scrutiny of the Commission on Audit.

The total amount for the six months under Perez was more than what most of his predecessors spent in an entire year for the WPP. The program used up P20 million for operational expenses in 1996, P20.9 million in 1997, P24.9 million in 1998, P23 million in 1999 and P23.8 million in 2000.

During the term of Artemio Tuquero as secretary of the Department of Justice (DOJ), a check for P6 million was also made, but this was for the purchase of eight service vehicles.

The WPP currently spends P900,000 in Metro Manila and another P900,000 in the other regions every month for the allowance of some 500 witnesses under the program, 30 guards, house rentals, electricity and water bills.

All the disbursements have been properly liquidated by Escobar, who as a matter of policy and tradition, merely issues a certification, which states the amounts were "spent for confidential purposes."

She acts as WPP special disbursing officer (SDO), instead of director Leo Dacera III, whose predecessors all served as SDOs during their term.

As a rule, intelligence funds are not subject to audit by the COA. Since 1998, the WPP has been allocated P50 million yearly, except in 1996 and 1997 when it received only P20 million and P23 million, respectively.

Shortly after Perez assumed office, Tuquero turned over P8 million in savings to his successor to augment the annual funding of P50 million. But last September, the DOJ asked the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to release a supplemental P10 million to the WPP – another first in the history of the program.

Asked for comment, Perez said he had no idea he was the biggest spender among those who assumed the post of justice secretary.

"I don’t know about that. I’m not the one handling expenditures," he told The STAR by telephone.

He admitted that the DOJ had asked the DBM for the release of P10 million because of "more expenses and more witnesses," but denied that the annual allocation had dried up.

"There are additional costs that I cannot tell you, but among other things that are included in this request are the cases of Rosebud, the Kuratong Baleleng and the Estrada plunder," Perez said.

For her part, Escobar admitted she was the recipient of the disbursements, but clarified her division does not issue pay-to-cash checks.

"In terms of money, it’s actually the finance management service doing the disbursements," she said.

Escobar also stressed that the P3.5 million and P5 million checks were not given to Perez.

"I do not give them to the secretary. All of them were used for the expenses of the witnesses," she said.