DA chief welcomes Congress probe

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap welcomes a congressional inquiry into a huge government coconut-planting project in Agusan del Sur.

"A speedy probe would dispel the false allegations on the project" hurled by resigned Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) administrator Evangeline Valbuena, who quit her post last Thursday after expressing opposition to the project, Yap said.

"An investigation by Congress will show that the two events are totally unrelated," Yap said in a press statement. "All documents and testimony from the personalities involved, other than Ms. Valbuena, will bear out that the Agusan project is still in the planning stage. This has yet to be approved by the Department of Agriculture and would have to be evaluated before its elevation to the Cabinet and the President for final approval."

Sen. Ramon Magsaysay Jr., who heads the Senate committee on agriculture and food, will begin an inquiry into the project on Tuesday.

Yap said Valbuena was "playing fast and loose with the facts" in claiming earlier that he was pressuring her to back the P8.4-billion Agusan Reserve Area Development Project, a proposed 110,000-hectare nursery for a nationwide coconut replanting program.

It was earlier reported that funding for the project would come from levies collected from coconut farmers during the Marcos dictatorship.

A mobile phone text message shown by Valbuena to reporters at a press briefing earlier which claimed there was pressure on her "was really off-base because we, as head of the agency, have been urging her to meet with the stakeholders in the coco industry on other vital concerns, which is part of her job and which she failed to do," Yap said.

"Additionally, it is totally false that I am pushing this project. I have not even decided yet. All we have is an agreement to study its feasibility. If that is the case, how can we even discuss the financing aspect?" Yap asked.

The Senate and the House of Representatives plan to conduct separate inquiries into the project as well as its reported use of the coconut levy funds, which amount to nearly P10 billion.

The coconut levy fund is the subject of a drawn-out court battle between the government and San Miguel Corp. chairman Eduardo Cojuangco.

Cojuangco is accused of illegally acquiring his huge stake in San Miguel by using coconut levy funds during the Marcos dictatorship. The government argues that the coconut levy funds are state funds.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said it seemed unusual that such a large amount of money would be used on a single project.

In his resolution calling for an investigation, Pimentel stated "there is likewise a pressing need to scrutinize the utilization of the coconut levy assets, particularly those invested in San Miguel Corp. shares of stocks."

In a press briefing yesterday, Valbuena clarified there were no "personality clashes" between her and Yap even though she opposed the coconut nursery project.

She also denied earlier reports that "pressure" from Malacañang prompted her to resign.

Valbuena said she quit following Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita’s announcement Wednesday that the Palace’s search committee was already looking for a replacement for her.

"The rumor had been going on for sometime until Secretary Ermita confirmed it," she said.

Valbuena stated in her resignation letter Thursday that she was resigning "to give her excellency a free hand in choosing the proper person to lead the PCA."

However, her resignation will become effective if accepted by President Arroyo.

Malacañang declined to comment on Valbuena. "We really cannot comment on the movement of appointed officials," Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said, adding it was left to Yap to explain the Agusan project.

"What is important is the merit of the project. Secretary Yap should be able to justify it," he said.

Yap vowed to "throw open" the department records on the project before a Senate inquiry this Tuesday, saying Valbuena was "resorting to a smear campaign to burnish her image at the expense of the department."

"She should back up her false and irresponsible allegations. Otherwise, she has acted irresponsibly to hurt our agricultural institutions in a cavalier attempt to justify her departure," he said.

Weighing on the issue, former agriculture secretary Leonardo Montemayor said the probe should "clear up the disinformation peddled by Valbuena."

Montemayor said the Agusan project is "basically still in its conceptualization and consultation stage." A feasibility study would have to be approved first by concerned government agencies and President Arroyo before the project can actually begin, he said.

An agricultural think tank and farmers’ advocacy group, Philippine Peasant Institute, likewise backed Yap, saying Valbuena’s opposition to the project was not the point.

"The truth is that the small coconut farmers have been very critical of Valbuena since she assumed office. And this could be the major reason why the Arroyo administration has been mulling the termination of Valbuena’s services," it said in a statement.

"Valbuena should know that the ever-vigilant small coconut farmers would be the first to oppose any move or even just an inkling that the coco levy funds are going to be used for purposes that will not benefit their sector. Unfortunately, the evidence she has presented is tenuous."

She "merely put a spin on a non-issue" to garner sympathy and support, it added.

A memorandum of understanding between the PCA and other concerned government agencies would show that the project was still "exploratory in nature," the institute said. "It does not mention that coco levy funds are going to be used for the project or will be re-channeled for the project." — With Marvin Sy, Nestor Etolle, Aurea Calica, Ben Serrano