Some NGOs which received fertilizer funds had same officers - Lacson

MANILA, Philippines - Several non-government organizations listed as beneficiaries in the fertilizer fund mess had interlocking sets of officers, opposition Sen. Panfilo Lacson bared Friday. Lacson made the disclosure during the Senate hearing on the fertilizer fund scam, saying this is another indication the Farm Inputs Farm Implements (FIFI) program was a giant scam. "The reason I believe this is a big scam, we found out maraming foundations or NGOs involved sa implementation ng projects, there are interlocking corporators or trustees (The reason I believe this is a big scam is that many foundations or NGOs involved had interlocking corporators or trustees)," he said. "Nangangamoy ng scam ito (This stinks like a scam)," he added. Citing documents reaching him, he said one Ariel Panganiban of the Societies Multi-Purpose Foundation Inc. was also a trustee of another proponent, the Gracious Samaritans Foundation Inc. Another name, Luisita Pascua, was a trustee of Societies Multi-Purpose Foundation Inc. and with the Alliance for Consecration of Environment of Pangasinan Inc. "Ang incorporators and trustees pareho sa foundation na napili para daanan ng pondo para liquid fertilizer under this program (Many incorporators and trustees were the same for many NGOs chosen as proponents in the program)," he said. When he asked Commission on Audit (COA) corporate government sector Director III Flerida Jimenez if this should raise suspicions, Jimenez said yes. But Jimenez said the NGOs Lacson mentioned were not listed with them, saying the NGOs pertain to funds downloaded by Livelihood Corp. (Livecor), where Bolante was supposedly acting chairman. "So di namin nakita sa audit (So we did not see that in the audit)," she said. - GMANews.TV