Palace: We support clamor to punish the guilty

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang supports the Senate Blue Ribbon committee’s investigation into the congressional pork barrel scam, saying the Aquino administration also wants the truth out and charges filed against those responsible. 

“We support our people’s clamor to prosecute and punish all those involved,” Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma said yesterday.

He said the legislative inquiry “is part of the overall efforts to ferret out the truth regarding the misuse of PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) and other public funds.”

“We join our people in hoping that this investigation will move the quest for truth and justice forward,” he added.

Coloma said they are focused on moving the judicial process forward “so those involved can stand trial and be ultimately held accountable” to give justice to the taxpayers.  

Delisted

Meanwhile, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has delisted the National Commission for Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) as an implementing agency for congressional pork barrel-funded projects.

“It is no longer a PDAF implementing agency. It has been removed from the list,” Budget Secretary Florencio Abad told The STAR.

Abad did not say why the NCMF has been delisted. 

The COA said some PDAF allocations certain lawmakers had given the agency for Muslim Filipinos ended up with questionable non-government organizations.         

Mehol Sadain, a former elections commissioner, heads NCMF, which is attached to the Office of the President.         

The 2011 COA annual audit report for NCMF shows that it received a total of P96.5 million in PDAF that year.

As of yearend, the agency had used up P70 million, leaving a balance of P26.5 million.         

However, the audit findings did not discuss how NCMF used the P70 million.

No 2012 report is posted yet on the COA website.

But the DBM website shows that at least one senator, Gregorio Honasan and nine congressmen – most of them party-list representatives – had allocated P157 million in their PDAF allocations to the agency.         

Honasan gave the NCMF P30 million last year. Of that amount, P20 million was for livelihood training on soap making, food processing, sushi making, gold plating, durian and mangosteen processing in Taguig, Manila, Quezon City, Valenzuela, Caloocan, and Navotas.         

The remaining P10 million was for training on food processing of marine-based products, production and marketing of mango and other high value fruit crops in Olongapo City, Subic, Castillejos, and San Marcelino in Zambales.         

Rep. Salvador Cabaluna III of the party-list group 1st Consumers Alliance for Rural Energy (1-CARE) allocated another P30 million to the NCMF.

The money was for livelihood training on soap and jewelry making in three areas: Cagayan de Oro City, and the towns of Sumisip and Tipo-tipo in Basilan.

Michael Angelo Rivera, also of 1-CARE, gave the commission P20 million for soap and quilt making in the towns of Manay and Tarragona in Davao Oriental. 1-CARE represents members of rural electric cooperatives.         

Former Quezon Rep. Lorenzo Tañada III allotted P10 million to the NCMF for livelihood training on haircutting and cosmetology with 2,000 beneficiaries in the towns of Alabat, Perez, Quezon, Guinayangan, and Tagkawayan in his district.                 

The NCMF received another P10 million from former Rep. Angelo Palmones of Alyansa ng mga Haligi ng Agham at Teknolohiya para sa Mamamayan for training on massage therapy, soap making and home bakeshop in Legazpi City, Albay.         

Additionally, the Muslim commission received P19 million from Nicanor Briones of Agricultural Sector Alliance of the Philippines, which claims to represent farmers; P10 million from Ranulfo Canonigo of Kapatiran ng mga Nakulong na Walang Sala, P5 million from Mark Sambar of Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta, and P3 million from Isidro Lico of ATING-KOOP (Adhikaing Tinataguyod ng Kooperatiba).

Curiously, Acmad Tomawis, a Muslim party-list representative, did not allocate even a peso to NCMF.         

The Muslim body also received P14 million from Raymond Democrito Mendoza of Trade Union Congress of the Philippines and P500,000 from Arturo Robes.

In a related development, the city government of Taguig received P123 million from the PDAF of different lawmakers for various projects last year but only P13.4 million has been used.      

In a report released early this week, the COA said the money was supposed to be used for the construction of an additional building at the Signal Village National High School, livelihood and or micro-entrepreneurship training for displaced migrant workers and their families, the implementation of alternative learning system and clean water projects. – With Jess Diaz, Michael Punongbayan