Palace: Ex-DA undersecretary better off abroad

Former agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn Bolante would be better off staying abroad, as opposition members seem interested in using him to attack President Arroyo, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said yesterday.

Bolante’s presence is sought by the Senate agriculture committee chaired by Sen. Ramon Magsasay Jr. in connection with the alleged P728-million fertilizer scam. Bolante left last week for the United States.

In an interview aired by Radio Mindanao Network (RMN), Bunye said it would be easy for opposition senators to have Bolante brought back to the Philippines if they are really interested in his testimony.

"You know, it would be easy for the opposition to bring Mr. Bolante back," Bunye said. "It’s up to them if they want somebody to come back, but it appears that is not what they want."

"Maybe (the opposition) wants to have adverse publicity (against the Arroyo administration) and I think it’s better that Mr. Bolante is out of the country," he added.

According to Bunye, there is a "very clear-cut procedure" for compelling Bolante to come home, which the Senate’s lawyer could implement "but they have not done that."

The presence of Bolante and former agriculture secretary Cito Lorenzo was sought by the Senate agriculture committee to shed light on the alleged diversion of P728 million in fertilizer funds to the 2004 campaign kitty of Mrs. Arroyo.

Lorenzo also left the country for the US last week.

Immigration Commissioner Alipio Fernandez said Friday that his office is still waiting for a formal communiqué from the Senate to place the two former agriculture officials on the Bureau of Immigration (BI) watchlist.

Fernandez also said immigration officials in the country’s airports were under instructions to submit a report once Bolante or Lorenzo return to the country pending the BI’s receipt of a formal request from the Senate.

A watch-list order is valid for only 90 days and is usually issued to prevent people on the list from leaving the country until a hold-departure order is issued against them.

Watch-list orders are usually served on persons facing criminal or administrative investigation to stop them from fleeing the country before the courts can issue a hold-departure order against them.

Only Malacañang, the courts and the Department of Justice (DOJ) can order the BI to place a person on the hold-departure list.

Bunye, however, said Bolante and Lorenzo are now private citizens, so they cannot just be compelled to return to the Philippines.

Prior to Bolante’s departure for the US this week, Magsaysay’s representatives and the Senate sergeant-at-arms served a subpoena on Bolante after they were made to wait for over an hour while he attended a Rotary Club meeting in Pasay City.

Security guards at the Westin Philippine Plaza Hotel barred Wendy Santiago, a member of Magsaysay’s staff, and Nelson Dimayuga, of the Senate sergeant-at-arms, from entering the hotel where Bolante was presiding over a general assembly of the Manila Rotary Institute.

Santiago and Dimayuga waited for an hour and 15 minutes before they were able to serve the subpoena, which was received by Bolante’s lawyer Antonio Zulueta.

Lyn Abenilla, district governor-elect of the Rotary, told reporters they were not coddling Bolante.

Bolante left after delivering a speech, Abenilla said, but some Rotary members claimed the former agriculture undersecretary was still there when the subpoena was served.

Bolante is a director of Rotary International and a convener of the assembly.

In a letter dated Oct. 21, Magsaysay ordered Bolante to appear before his committee Wednesday last week to answer questions on the fertilizer fund.

Bolante did not attend the committee’s first hearing two weeks ago. Santiago said Bolante faces arrest if he fails to appear before Magsaysay’s committee again.

Zulueta said he and his client would study the matter before deciding whether or not to attend.

Senators got nowhere during the first hearing when Bolante and another former agriculture undersecretary, Ibarra Poliquit, refused to attend the inquiry.

Former budget secretary Emilia Boncodin was also summoned but begged off due to health reasons and instead issued a deposition. The Department of Budget office housing computer servers burned down over the weekend, prompting the opposition to suspect the administration was covering its tracks.

The Commission on Audit could not account for the missing fertilizer funds. It said many congressional districts that were listed as recipients of the fertilizer funds provided no accounting.