NABCOR chief: Transactions with Tulfo, Del Prado legit, well-documented

The head of the National Agribusiness Corp. (NABCOR) has virtually cleared the two journalists accused of benefiting from the pork barrel scam.

In a report on “24 Oras” Monday, Honesto Baniqued said the checks for P250,000 each received by ABC 5's Erwin Tulfo and GMA dzBB's Melo del Prado were payment connected to a legitimate advertising campaign by the Department of Agriculture.

Baniqued said this was based on NABCOR documents on DA's Bagsakan Center and Barangay Food Terminal projects in 2008 and 2009.

“In fairness, legitimate talaga siya. Kumpleto ang documentations nila. In fact, naka-[record] pa ito sa BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue). May tax ito, and then... meron din syang mga kontrata sa network,” Baniqued said in the report.

He added the money came from the DA's fund and not from the pork barrel.



Pork barrel scam

The accusation against Tulfo and Del Prado was made by former NABCOR vice president Rhodora Mendoza, a witness in the pork barrel scam.

Investigators said lawmakers, in cahoots with several private individuals, received kickbacks by funneling millions in their Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF)—the formal name of pork barrel—to dubious non-government organizations, with NABCOR allegedly serving as the conduit.

Baniqued admitted that the alleged scam has put NABCOR in bad light that even legitimate projects are being questioned. He also said Mendoza may be desperate to become a state witness as she herself is implicated in the scam.

“You wanted to be a state witness. How do you promote yourself? Let us all be clear and truthful kasi mahirap din naman na nagbibintang ka nang basta-basta to save your skin. That's unfair,” he said in the “24 Oras” report.

GMA News tried to reach Mendoza for her comment, but her husband said she's in a meeting.

DzBB

Meanwhile, with Baniqued's statement, Miguel C. Enriquez, GMA Network Inc.'s consultant for radio operations, is hoping that the issue on NABCOR's transactions with Del Prado will be put to rest, the report said.

The report added Del Prado has vowed to submit the all documents related to the transactions.

DzBB, meanwhile, has vowed to uphold the highest ethical standards of its employees, and will continue monitoring such issues.

On Monday, Tulfo filed a libel complaint against the Philippine Daily Inquirer, which first ran the story regarding the alleged media payoffs.

The Inquirer has yet to issue a statement regarding Tulfo's libel complaint, the "24 Oras" report said. —KBK, GMA News