New witness confirms conversion scheme in AFP

(Updated 7:27 p.m.) Another witness confirmed on Tuesday the conversion scheme in the military as earlier revealed by whistleblower and former military fund manager Lt. Col. George Rabusa. During the Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada presented retired Col. Romeo Mateo, former disbursing officer in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), to support Rabusa’s claims. "Gusto ko po patunayan sa committee na ito na si Col. Rabusa ay nagsasabi ng buong katotohanan (I want to prove to this committee that Col. Rabusa is telling the truth)," Mateo said during the inquiry. According to Mateo, the average monthly fund conversion in the AFP during his time was P11 million. He said he himself received 1.5 percent of the converted funds that go through him. He noted, however, that they only "inherited" the practice from previous AFP officers. Mateo was summoned to the Senate hearing after former AFP comptroller Col. Cirilo Thomas Donato Jr. repeatedly denied that there was a conversion scheme in the military. On Tuesday, Rabusa said that Donato received P10,000 monthly when he was still in J2 (deputy chief of staff for intelligence) and P100,000 when he was in J6 (deputy chief of staff for comptrollership). Donato eventually admitted that he thinks there is corruption in the AFP. Rabusa had earlier revealed that military officials received around P5 million in monthly allowance while they were still in service and millions more as "pabaon" (send-off money) when they retired. He also revealed the existence of a P20-million cash fund left with the current AFP fund manager that was supposedly meant for operatioal or personal use of the chief of staff up to the J6. - Kimberly Jane Tan/KBK, GMA News