"Thru Janet Napoles?" 5 Bohol towns get Malampaya funds

TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines — Five local government units in Bohol have been named "recipients" of part of the Malampaya oil funds, allegedly manipulated by the Janet L. Napoles Foundation as conduit of bogus non-government organizations (NGOs), report of the Commission on Audit showed.

The five Bohol towns-Garcia-Hernandez, Pilar, Loboc, Jagna and Maribojoc-were named beneficiaries of the Malampaya oil funds at P5 million each, the COA report said.

The funds were released on January 26, 2010 through the following NGOs: "Kaupdanan" for Garcia-Hernandez, "Micro-Agri" for Pilar and "Ginto" for Loboc.

Similar funds from Malampaya were also released on May 18, 2010 via "Micro Agri" for Jagna and "Bukiring Tanglaw" for Maribojoc.

The COA report, however, did not mention where these NGOs are based and who are their officers, except that these funds were "sourced out from the Malampaya Fund to JLN Foundation," from November 2009 to May 2010, said the COA report.

The Malampaya oil funds amounting to P900 million that was managed by the Office of the President under the watch of  then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo — were proceeds of  the oil mine off Palawan, reports said.

The mayors of these mentioned towns, however, denied their respective LGUs were recipients of the money.

Maribojoc Mayor Leoncio Evasco said he did not even know about it. He added that for as long as he is still the mayor he would not allow his town to receive bogus funds from questionable sources.

Former Mayor Leon Calipusan of Loboc, for his part, said in his text message that he had "no knowledge" about the said fund. He did not elaborate.

Efforts to contact former mayors Myrna Naldoza Schreurs of Garcia-Hernandez, Wilson Pajo of Pilar and Exuperio Lloren of Jagna proved futile as of this writing.

Last Monday, members of civil society groups, such as the Bohol Alliance of Non-Government Organizations (BANGON), the media and some NGOs in the province gathered at the Rizal Park in the city to join the nationwide campaign for the abolition of the pork barrel of legislators.

BANGON president, Emy Roslinda, also executive director of  Process Foundation, told The Freeman that she once approach by what she called fund manager of a certain senator. She did not name the senator and she did not knew who was that "fund manager" also.

In the course of their phone conversation, the "fund manager" offered her P10 million deal from the senator's "pork barrel" on condition that she would complete the documents for the release of the money. The "fund manager" would then download the 25 percent of the P10 million and the remaining 75 percent to go to the senator.

She said she was also taught by the "fund manager" that she may pocket the ten percent of the 25 percent share and the rest go to the target project.  What amazed her was that the "fund manager" said her NGO should also liquidate the entire P10 million. She rejected the offer, Roslinda said.