'Luis' Abalos is a typo error — Mayor Abalos, DBM chief

Mandaluyong City Mayor Benhur Abalos has stepped forward to claim that he is the alleged non-existent congressman who received P20 million in pork barrel funds in 2007.

 

In GMA News' "24 Oras" newscast on Thursday, Abalos showed his special allotment release order (SARO) for state funds worth P20 million for the construction of a two-storey multi-purpose hall called Lingap Karunungan Center for persons with disabilities and sickness. 

 

"Nung nakita ko sa DBM, talagang ako po 'yung Luis Abalos at dito po napunta. At least klaro na po ngayon, typographical error ito at inamin na ng Department of Budget and Management (DBM) na nagkamali sila," Abalos said in the report.

 

Abalos said the project was built at Block 38, Barangay Addition Hills in Mandaluyong. Mayor Abalos served as Representative from 2004 to 2007. He is the son of former Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos, also a former mayor of Mandaluyong.

 

The name Luis Abalos first came from the COA's report on its special audit, which said some P6.156-billion in pork barrel funds of close to 200 lawmakers went to 82 mostly dubious non-government organizations (NGOs) from 2007 to 2009. These projects where then allegedly used as a conduit for kickbacks.

 

Budget Secretary Butch Abad acknowledged the mistake.

 

"Dito sa records namin, nagkaroon ng error in uploading the name. For some reason, 'yung first name naiba. Napakaraming mga dokumento 'yun so nagkamali lang ng pag-type ng pangalan," Abad said in the report.

 

Even President Aquino himself acknowledged that the DBM made a mistake on the first name. 

 

Mayor Abalos showed his SARO document a day after Aquino visited Mandaluyong City Wednesday to distribute relief goods to maring-enhance monsoon flood victims.

 

"'Yung pangalan ng isang tao na hindi miyembro ng Kongreso, ang sabi sa atin, miyembro ng Kongreso, mali lang ang nilagay na first name," the president had said. — ELR, GMA News