Filtered By: Topstories
News

12 NGOs linked to Napoles cornered P900-M Malampaya funds – COA


(Updated 3:09 p.m.) Twelve non-government organizations linked to alleged pork barrel scam brains Janet Lim-Napoles cornered the P900 million in royalties from the Malampaya gas fund released to the Department of Agrarian Reform, Commission on Audit chairperson Grace Pulido Tan said Monday.

Testifying before the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing, Tan said the 12 NGOs split the memorandum of agreements with 97 municipalities among themselves with each agreement costing P10 million or less. 
 
“Lahat ng ito, from all of the revelations, lahat ng 12 NGOs na ito, linked kay Mrs. Napoles,” Tan said.
 
“Ang sinasabi namin dito, sinadya na i-isplit ang mga proyekto na 'yun para hindi tumaas. Kasi 'pag tumaas sa P10 million, Secretary ang kailangang pumirma. Since ito ay P10 million and below, pwede si Usec (Rafael) Nieto at the time ang pumirma. It is not justified for them to split to have 97 MOAs,” she added.
 
Tan said they also found out that the checks issued to four of the NGOs were deposited in two bank accounts.

Napoles is currently facing plunder and graft charges before the Sandiganbayan in connection with the alleged pork barrel scam. She is detained in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City. 


The NGOs were:
 
  • Karangyaan para sa Magbubukid Foundation with MOAs in nine local government units with a total amount of P82.5 million
  • Gintong Pangkabuhayan Foundation Inc. with MOAs in nine LGUs with a total amount of P82.5 million
  • Kaupdanan Para sa Mangunguma Foundation Inc with MOAs in eight LGUs with a total amount of P75 million
  • Kasaganahan para sa Magsasaka Foundation Inc with MOAs in eight LGUs with a total amount of P75 million
  • Dalangpan Sang Amon Utod Kag Kasimanwa Foundation Inc with MOAs in eight LGUs with a total amount of P75 million
  • Ginintuang Alay sa Magsasaka Foundation Inc with MOAs in eight LGUs with a total amount of P77.5 million
  • Bukirin Tanglaw Foundation Inc with MOAs in eight LGUs with a total amount of P75 million
  • Abundant Harvest for Peoples Foundation Inc with MOAs in eight LGUs with a total amount of P75 million
  • Tanglaw Para sa Magsasaka Foundation Inc with MOAs in eight LGUs with a total amount of P72.5 million
  • Saganang Buhay sa Atin Foundation Inc with MOAs in nine LGUs with a  total amount of P80 million
  • Micro Agri Business Citizens Initiative Foundation Inc with MOAs in six LGUs with a total amount of P55 million, and
  • Masaganang Buhay Foundation Inc with MOAs in eight LGUs with a total amount of P75 million.
 
Tan added they found out that the MOAs were signed by three notaries public, namely, Delfin Agcaoili Jr., Editha P. Tanaboc, and Mark S. Oliveros.

She said Oliveros was not on the list of lawyers while they cannot locate the two others.
 
Tan said the independent audit report of the NGOs was signed by only four certified public accountants.
 
But Tan said some NGOs could not be located at their given addresses while some were traced to residential premises or canteens. Six of the NGos have no business permits from the LGU and other were using receipts not legally printed or issued. 
 
She further said that none of the listed beneficiaries selected by COA for validation confirmed receipt of the items and most of the names are not registered voters or agrarian reform beneficiaries.

Different NGOs
 
Asked if the NGOs in the Malampaya fund scam were the same as those used in the pork barrel scam fund, Tan said these were different organizations.
 
“Iba po ito. I’m not saying that these are Napoles NGOs but ito yung nali-link sa kanya based sa mga previous revelations, 20 po kasi yung NGO, eight yung sa PDAF scam at yung 12 ito yun,” she said.
 
The COA chief said the DAR entered into the MOA with the NGOs even before the issuance of Special Allotment Release Fund, in violation of the PD 1445 which prohibits entering into contract unless funds are available and authorized or appropriated.
 
She added the NGOs were also selected through the endorsement of the mayors and not through public or negotiated bidding. 

In an interview after the hearing, Tan said they did not ask Napoles about the issue as they did not see her name in any of the documents they gathered.

“Hindi po namin sakop ang pribadong indibidwal unless may nakita kaming pirma niya o ano mang pwede namin siyang kausapin na ‘pirma mo ba talaga ito?’ She does not appear in any of those (documents),” she told reporters.

She reiterated that COA does not know if the NGOs were really owned by Napoles and they were just basing their statement on the previous statements of whistleblowers including Benhur Luy.

“Hindi ko alam ang kaugnayan kay Napoles to begin with,” she said.

Asked if they sought the comment of the presidents of the NGOs, Tan said they did “but nobody answered us. We cannot wait forever for them to say something to us.”

She added that they never saw any project, supposedly funded by Malampaya fund, that materialized.

“Parang wala kaming nakitang project at all. I will not even say ghost delivery, parang ghost project it’s more like that. Kasi 67 mayors denied signing the MOA, four confirmed signing the letter request but denied any further participation, these projects were supposed to have been executed or implemented dun sa mga bayan-bayan, then 27 mayors did not answer us at all,” she said.

Tan was referring to the 97 mayor who supposedly requested financial assistance for farmers affected by typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng. She said the letter requests were submitted to the DAR by the NGOs and not by the mayors.

She said DAR gave the funds to the NGOs, which were supposed to implement the projects, and not to the LGUs that allegedly requested the project.

The COA chief also noted that the letter requests were submitted to DAR after it submitted to the Department of Budget and Management the funding request.

“Nauna ang funding request ng DAR sa DBM kesa sa supposedly letters from 97 mayors. The funding request was made October 22, 2009 pero merong 27 lamang na letter requests from the mayors na natanggap ng DAR from October 19 to 21. All the other requests received October 22 to 28,” she said.

She added that there was also no proof that DAR received the 27 letter requests on the dates indicated on it.

Tan said DAR did not validate the letters as there was no reports or endorsements  from their field offices.

“Lumalabas na walang validation at all na ginawa ang DAR tungkol sa request ng 97 mayors na ito. Walang vetting process. Di tiningnan kung maayos ba o may ibang pangangailangan,” she said.

Charges have been filed before the Ombudsman against former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Napoles, and 20 others in connection with the alleged misuse of 900-million Malampaya fund.

Other agencies
 
Tan said they are still in the process of conducting audit and getting the comment of other agencies where Malampaya funds were released

She said they will release early next year the audit report on the Malampaya funds allocated to PAGASA, the National Housing Authority, and two attached agencies of the Department of Agriculture.

Also in the hearing, Tan said they found red flags on the funds released to the Department of Public Works and Highways and Philippine National Police-Department of Interior and Local Government but refused to disclose these yet.

As of June 2013, a total of P33 billion of Malampaya funds have been released to different government agencies.

Tan said they were having a hard time tracking the funds because the agencies where funds were downloaded gave the money to other agencies.

“Sa Department of National Defense nagtransfer siya ng fund sa limang ibang ahensya which in return further downloaded it to five agencies,” she said.

She said in the past, the funds downloaded to other agencies were no longer audited. RSJ/KG/KBK, GMA News

LOADING CONTENT