Senate probe looms over 2007 RP-US Balikatan fund mess

MANILA, Philippines - A Senate investigation looms over the alleged fund mess in connection with money allocated for the RP-US Balikatan joint military exercises in 2007. Senate defense committee chairman Rodolfo Biazon asked whistleblower Lieutenant Senior Grade Nancy Gadian to formalize her report and forward it to him. "Gawing official ang report at i-address sa Senate, chairman of defense committee [Make your report official and address it to the Senate, to the chairman of the defense committee]," Biazon said in a three-way phone-patch interview on dzRH radio. "If you can give me [an] official report, I will have a basis to act. If this is the fund from the Department of National Defense or the Armed Forces of the Philippines, this is within my jurisdiction," added Biazon, a former military chief. Gadian had voiced fears for her life, saying many junior officers who blew the whistle on scams in the military had been silenced before. But she said she will accept her fate, saying it was her duty to come out with information on wrongdoing to the public. "I’m not discounting the possibility naman that something will happen to me. Alam nating lahat ang nangyari sa naunang junior officer na nagbunyag ng anomalya sa Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas ... Tinanggap ko yan. Kung anong mangyari sa akin parte yan ng aking buhay bilang sundalo," Gadian said. [I’m not discounting the possibility something will happen to me. We know what happened to junior officers who blew the whistle. I have accepted this as part of my life as a soldier.] Gadian also hinted the fund mess may involve a larger sum, saying the irregularities in past Balikatan exercises were much bigger. "Mas malaki pa po, mas malaki pa po, mas malaki pa po [It’s much bigger, much bigger, much bigger]," she said. Meanwhile, Gadian scored the claim of Armed Forces public information office head Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner that she faces dismissal for alleged malversation of funds. "Palaging nakikita ang maliit, ang malaki natatakpan. From the very start i was prejudged [It’s always the little guy who gets fried, and the big guy is covered. From the very start I was prejudged]," she said. Earlier, Brawner said the Navy’s Efficiency and Separation Board started the proceedings against Gadian last Thursday but she did not appear. Gadian is currently on floating status at the Philippine Navy Headquarters in Manila. Gadian had accused Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) chief Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo of pocketing part of the P46 million budget allotted for the Balikatan exercises in 2007. Cedo retired in late 2007. She was a former Westmincom assistant chief of staff for civil operations. But Brawner said it was Gadian who could not account for the P2.3 million that was released to her office to pursue some projects under the RP-US Balikatan Exercises in 2007. He said that aside from the P2.3 million released to Gadian, all the other Balikatan funds for 2007 were properly accounted for. He also said Gadian could stand trial before a court martial for airing her accusations against Cedo in public. - GMANews.TV