Bongbong counters funds given Napoles NGOs came from govt savings, not pork

Public funds funneled to bogus non-government organizations (NGOs) came from government savings and not from his pork barrel, Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said Tuesday.

At a press conference, Marcos said he was baffled when he received a letter from the Commission of Audit (COA) last week asking to him confirm if he indeed endorsed P100 million, coursed through the state-owned National Livelihood Development Corporation (NLDC), to four NGOs.

"Maliwanag na maliwanag na these documents have been falsified... Hindi ko alam kung anong pondo ito. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang pinanggalingan ng perang ito," Marcos said.

Marcos had earlier denied that he had endorsed the release of his pork to two NGOs, coursing it through the NLDC.

The senator also clarified that the amount was not part of his pork barrel funds, but was part of the government's disbursement acceleration program.

Marcos explained that the funds under the disbursement acceleration plan were savings used by President Benigno Aquino III's administration last year to implement several projects.

"May savings ang government, 'yung savings gusto nilang magamit sa simula ng taon para hindi magrevert sa general fund.... Apparently doon galing. Pero hindi sinabi sa akin na may perang ganyan," the senator said.

In 2011, the official Philippine government gazette said the development acceleration program involves P72.11 billion "sourced from pooled savings from unused appropriations in 2010 and 2011, windfall revenue from government-owned and -controlled corporations dividends, and realignments within agencies in favour of fast-disbursing projects."

The government gazette further said that the P72.11 billion is supposed to be released to national government agencies, local government units and state firms.

Marcos believed a group of people behind a "racket" funneled the government savings to bogus NGOs.  "Somebody did this, but not from my office, pero pinangalan sa akin. Para nakawin ang pera, kaya nila ginawa iyan," he said.

The endorsement letter from Marcos' office, which the senator claims to have been forged, identified as beneficiaries two NGOs with supposed links to Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged mastermind of the P10-billion pork barrel scam.

These NGOs are the Agricultura para sa Magbubukid Inc. and the Agri and Economic Program for Farmers Foundation Inc.

Marcos was among those earlier implicated in the alleged pork barrel scam, with his discretionary funds supposedly transferred by local government units to Napoles-linked NGOs. — DVM, GMA News