Solusyon ng Baha sa Metro Manila

    
   












 According to our National Government has a Flood Control Master Plan through the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) that cost a whooping P351-Billion bucks. Wow! napakalaking halaga nito. If the Peso to Dollar exchange rate is P43 to $1, that is US$8.162B. Ang yaman talaga ng Pilipinas. The Master Plan according to Mr. Rogelio Singson, the DPWH secretary, the project will last until 2030. That is a 20-year project!

     What comes into my mind as a Filipino tax payer is that the Flood Control Master Plan is not published in DPWH's website. I have seen an interview in a television network with Mr. Rogelio Singson that the Flood Control Master Plan is still secret and cannot be disclosed. What the he*l!! The Filipino people has the right to be informed with the projects that the government department will implement. In this multi-billion dollar project, the expenses will be paid by the Filipino tax payers in the future. Kawawang mga tax payers. :(

   During the weekend, I was able to check the project of Malaysia to control flood in Kuala Lumpur. It is an excellent project, from planning to implementation. To the day-to-day operations and maintenance. How I wish our government can do the same project as Malaysian government has achieved. Masyado kasing corrupt ang mga naka-upo sa gobyerno ng Pilipinas. Kokonti na lang ang matitino.

   An article of the Kuala Lumpur’s Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel (Smart). 

http://www.itsinternational.com/categories/detection-monitoring-machine-vision/features/success-of-kuala-lumpurs-dual-purpose-tunnel/

------
References:

http://www.rappler.com/nation/12834-flooding-to-still-be-a-problem-in-metro-manila-after-2030-dpwh 

www.inquirer.net

Pork Barrel or PDAF Percentage in National Budget

Just came across with a very helpful info graphic that shows how much money Philippines have in 2013.

I firmly believe that Philippines as a country is not a poor country rather it is poor because part of the budget doesn't go to where it belongs. Most politicians are corrupt and greedy for money.

Money is not the root of all evil.. but loving money more than anything else is the root of all evil. I am just wondering.. will my tax go to the services for the people or it goes straight to the politician's pocket? 

------
InfoGraphic is owned by EF Legara, its not mine. :D

The PDAF is only 1% of the total Budget ng Bayan. 

NAIA Terminal 1 Taxi Drivers: Crocs and Sharks

Last October 6, 2013, Sunday night (no heavy traffic). I queued for the yellow Airport Taxi in NAIA Terminal 1. I was given a dispatch slip by the Dispatcher.. and at the same time telling me.. "Sir baka pwedeng makahingi sa inyo kahit pang kape lang po.. naglalambing lang sa inyo sir."  I just ignored the Dispatcher and went in to the yellow taxi. But in my mind "Garapalan na talaga ngayon ang paghihingi ng mga ito.. Ganun na ba kababa yung kinikita nila para gawin nila ito?" It seems that they are beggars on uniform, not good for tourists or visitors.. even to Filipino passengers.

As I went in to the taxi, the taxi driver asked me.. "Saan po kayo sir?" Me: "Sa Muntinlupa."

Taxi driver"Sir fixed rate na po doon kasi out of Metro Manila na yun."
Me: "I metro mo kasi airport metered taxi ito di ba." (Muntinlupa is still within Metro Manila. I don't have any idea where they got the idea that Muntinlupa is out of Metro Manila.)

Taxi driver: "Lugi po kami nyan kasi kapag ganyan fixed rate na talaga. Kawawa naman kaming mga driver, kawawa naman po pamilya namin."
Me: (This is the same dramatic story over and over again with taxi drivers. They are looking for sympathy and in the back of their minds all people with huge bags have tons of money in their pockets and are willing to pay them whatever price the taxi driver wants.) "Palagi naman po akong sumasakay dyan sa airport metered taxi, nagmmetro naman ang sila palagi."

Taxi driver: "Sige na nga." Then he started the meter.
During travelling I was able to ask his name.. Rafael was the name of the driver. I was amazed that the meter was already P600+ in Sucat. By the time we are in Muntinlupa in our house, the meter reading was P930.

I paid P930 and asked for the receipt, he only gave me the dispatch slip (I kept the dispatch slip). As I looked in the dispatch slip, it has different plate number compared to his vehicle and the price of P934.

I told him politely that usually it is P500 at most for metered taxi to Muntinlupa from the airport (I didn't raise my voice), probably he was bothered by his conscience that gave me P300 because he definitely knew that it was overcharged.


I asked for a receipt then he told me that the meter is not printing receipt meaning it is not functional.
What a day!! 

Just a tip when booking for an airport metered taxi.. Ask the driver first if the taxi meter can print receipt, then you will know if the meter is working or not.

Very seldom you can find an honest and dignified taxi driver in the airport. Most of them are crocs and sharks... same as in the government officials and politicos.


-----
Disclaimer: Picture above is from Internet, I do not own it.

Where Does PDAF Go?

This is a very good and informative article... follow the money trail and you will see the truth behind this politicos (Senatongs and Tongressmans). I hate Philippine politics!!

Senators’ PDAF floods
NCR, vote-rich provinces

by Malou Mangahas and Rowena F. Caronan

Thursday, July 19th, 2012

Third of Five Parts
IN THE last 23 months, a total of P5.78 billion of taxpayers’ money went to pork – or officially, the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) – to finance the pet projects across the nation of 21 senators of the republic. Two others, Panfilo M. Lacson and Joker P. Arroyo, have opted not to get any pork servings at all for years now.
Let’s do the math: The staggering figure means that from June 30, 2010, when Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III took his oath as President, to June 30 this year, each of the 21 senators with pork shares has secured P275 million for projects for his or her constituents, to his or her fancy. That also means that, thanks to pork, during the period, each of the 21 has had access to a slush fund of P11.9 million a month, or P398,000 a day.

A senator’s lawful monthly income is only P45,000, or P540,000 a year, or P3.24 million for the six years he or she must serve in office. Again, thanks to pork, PDAF ramps up his or her access to an additional P1.2 billion of public funds in six years, or by nearly 370 times more.
The Senate’s P4.2-billion PDAF share this year is 47 percent or P1.35 billion more than its agency budget of only P2.85 billion for 2012.
Members of the House of Representatives are elected by district and party-list constituents and thus bother with hyper-local issues and needs. In contrast, senators are elected by all voters and command national constituencies. Most assuredly, therefore, senators may be expected to employ their pork to respond to the “priority development assistance” concerns of all Filipinos across the nation.
Vote-rich areas
But a PCIJ survey of 3,284 PDAF release records for the Senate from June 2010 to June 2012 shows that much like their colleagues in the lower chamber, most senators have used their pork to boost their reelection bids, funneled the bulk of it in provinces with the largest numbers of voters, chose local government units usually led by their relatives as conduits of their pork, and poured in big pork shares to cities or towns that are their political bailiwicks. Some of the poorest provinces got so little, while Metro Manila and some of the least poor but also vote-rich provinces got a lot more pork from the senators.
(By June 21, 2012, the PCIJ had sent separate letters to 14 senators, including Lacson and Arroyo, to inquire about details of their PDAF projects. Only five responded. One replied in writing, two called up the PCIJ office, and two others agreed to sit-down interviews.)
To be sure, when pork and politics mix, in a few cases, potential or apparent conflicts-of-interest situations may emerge.
One senator, Lito M. Lapid, has used big sums of pork to roll out medical missions across the nation. In his latest Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth, Lapid reported that his wife Marissa T. Lapid, owns a franchise of the Generics Pharmacy in his hometown of Porac in Pampanga.
Another senator, Edgardo M. Angara, has been supporting “educational and cultural activities” through the non-government READ Foundation. In recent years, the foundation has published four biographical and geographical books with Angara as either author or co-author.
Still a third senator, Manuel B. Villar, has used P64 million of his pork for “hard” projects to repair and build roads and portions of roads in Bacoor, Cavite, where his family’s real estate company, Camella Homes and Communities of the Vista Land & Landscapes, Inc. group is developing at least five real estate projects.
Additionally, Villar and two other senators, siblings Alan Peter and Pilar Juliana ‘Pia’ Cayetano have separately funneled huge portions of their pork money to local government units in their respective bailiwicks of Las Piñas City and Taguig City, where their relatives serve as mayors.

 Under the special provision on PDAF of the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for 2012, each senator is entitled to get P200 million in pork every year – P100 million for “hard” or infrastructure projects, and P100 million for “soft” projects like scholarship programs, and medical, livelihood, and financial assistance.
Because they are fewer but have bigger constituencies, the senators get nearly three times more pork than the P70 million allotted every year for each of the 284 House district and party-list representatives. Like the senators, too, Vice President Jejomar C. Binay has also requested and secured P200 million of his own annual pork share.
Interviewed by the PCIJ, Budget Secretary Florencio C. Abad says the Executive’s efforts to reform PDAF includes shortening the “menu” of projects that lawmakers may select to roll out using pork, so that these are aligned with President Aquino’s priority development areas: social protection, basic education, primary health, and employment. The menu came as well with an exhortation from the Budget department for lawmakers to assign priority to 4^th-class to 6^th-class municipalities as recipients of pork projects.
This list intends to “limit the discretion” of lawmakers in selecting pork projects, but it is always subject to “negotiation” because, says Abad, “naturally, they would want discretion in terms of types of projects and how they are implemented.”
But in the back-and-forth between the lawmakers, and the departments and LGUs assigned to serve as implementing agencies of PDAF projects, the unwritten rule is that the lawmaker may choose whatever projects to fund wherever in the country, and for whichever beneficiaries, his or her pork should go.
Follow, ignore menu
To be sure, some senators have heeded the President’s “menu” of priority projects to be funded with pork. For instance, Sen. Franklin Drilon, Aquino’s Liberal Party ally, has released one-third of his P224.6-million PDAF share in the last two years to finance the construction of school buildings, in collaboration with the Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce. The Chamber is reputed to be able to build schools at a smaller cost of  P325,000 per classroom, or just half the P675,000 to P750,000 standard cost for the same project of the Public Works department and its contractors.

Prudence somehow marks the choice of PDAF projects since June 2010 of even some non-LP senators.
Sen. Loren B. Legarda of the Nationalist People’s Coalition or NPC has allocated P143.7 million to roll out 264 school buildings in various municipalities.
Sen. Francis G. Escudero of NPC has spent P289 million of his PDAF to build 691 public markets nationwide.
Drilon tells the PCIJ that he has precisely focused his PDAF to assist the national programs on basic education and primary health, but adds that even he could do without pork. “I can win as a senator without a peso pork barrel because we senators can win an electoral contest based on the issues where we stand,” he says.
Indeed, senators, unlike congressmen, can get elected sans assist from pork, according to Abad. “They can do without the PDAF, unlike the members of the House wherein constituent service is a key function,” says the budget secretary. In fact, Abad adds, some congressmen “can forego even attending sessions but they can never be accused of neglecting or trying to meet their constituents’ needs.”
In contrast, Abad says, “’Yung mga senador, they’re more influenced by public opinion (and media).”  He says pork “is the least, this is not the thing that motivates them. You know, they can do without it… Take away that PDAF, they wouldn’t mind, eh. It’s not what determines their political fate.”
Politics rule, too
But Abad may have spoken too soon. By all indications, to many senators politics remains local and pork remains hinged on their respective bailiwicks and hometowns, as well as their favored LGUs and foundations.
Indeed, despite all admonitions of the Budget department for lawmakers to dedicate their pork to help alleviate poverty in the poorest towns and provinces, even most of the senators do not give a care.
For many senators, home is simply where the pork should go.
Former movie actor and re-electionist Senator Lito Lapid, for example, continues to think very local. While he has used more than half or P119 million of his PDAF since June 2010 to construct multi-purpose buildings, slope protection, canals and repair of roads and farm-to-market roads, the bulk of these have been in his hometown of Porac in Pampanga, where he had served as governor from 1995 to 2004.
Senator Ralph G. Recto of LP used up 87 percent or P173.9 million of his pork to finance, among other projects, “Ralph G. Recto-Type School Buildings” in his home province of Batangas, where wife and movie actress Vilma Santos is governor. Big amounts of Senator Recto’s PDAF also went to the concreting of roads and the repair of public markets in the province.
As a group, though, the 21 senators who collect pork funds have chosen to focus their projects in the vote-rich provinces of the country.
By the amounts of pork they received from the 21 senators since June 2010, the top 10 PDAF-favored provinces are Quezon, Albay, Pampanga, Batangas, Cavite, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Rizal, and Bataan. The so-called “Pangasinan-Lucena corridor” that straddles provinces of Luzon island is known to have the largest population of voters.
More for least poor
Yet even these provinces are no match to the 16 cities and one town of Metro Manila, which landed top of the list in terms of pork flows received from the senators.
As of the latest count of the Commission on Elections, the National Capital Region has 6,178,966 registered voters, or more than 12 percent of the 50,896,164 total registered voters as of August 10, 2011.
Save Albay and Nueva Ecija, the poverty incidence rate in Metro Manila and the other pork-favored provinces is actually way below the national poverty incidence rate of 26.5 percent of population, as of 2009.
In fact, these pork-favored provinces, among the least poor of the country’s 80 provinces, host fewer 4^th-class to 6^th-class municipalities – or big numbers of the poor – that the Budget department said should get priority in the use of pork.
Metro Manila's PDAF is artificially high on account of only three senators: siblings Pia and Alan Peter Cayetano, and Manny Villar. All three spent huge chunks of their pork on their bailiwicks in the NCR.
The 4^th District of Metro Manila – which includes the cities of Taguig, Las Piñas, Pasay, and Makati, and the municipality of Pateros – is the wealthiest area in the country with a poverty incidence of 1.6 percent. It is also the most endowed district in Metro Manila with nearly two-thirds or P422.11 million of the senators’ PDAF allocation. This amount excludes as yet the releases made to big hospitals in Metro Manila.
The cities of Taguig and Las Piñas posted the highest amounts of PDAF allocation, with P186.61 million and P157 million, respectively. The Cayetanos released nearly all the pork shares of their hometown Taguig City, except for a livelihood project worth P250,000 funded by Legarda.
Spouse, son, sibling
Alan Peter’s wife Lani is the mayor of Taguig City. Alan Peter was also Taguig-Pateros representative from June 1998 to June 2007. He was replaced by Lani who held the seat from June 2007 to June 2010.
Alan Peter and Pia Cayetano released huge portions of their pork allocation to build and repair school buildings and health centers in Taguig City. These include the P10-million buildings at Sen. Rene ‘Compañero’ L. Cayetano Memorial Science and Technology High and Taguig City University, and P3-million to P5-million structures in six other schools. Alan Peter released P10 million of his PDAF for the construction of a health center, while Pia allocated a total of P49.43 million for the purchase of medical equipment at Taguig-Pateros District Hospital and various health centers.
Pia Cayetano also allocated a total of P18.5 million to Pateros, a municipality that has a legislative history closely wedded to Taguig. In addition, a total of P10 million of her pork went to Barangay Fort Bonifacio, where another brother, TV director Lino Cayetano, serves as barangay chairman. While informal settlers are surely to be found in that barangay, it is now more known for posh enclaves whose property owners include the recently sacked Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato C. Corona.
Housing projects
Las Piñas, meanwhile, has benefited from the pork of Senator Manny Villar who chairs the NP and ran for president in May 2010. Villar’s wife Cynthia had served as the lone representative of Las Piñas City since 2001, while brother-in-law Vergel Aguilar is now city mayor.
Since June 2010, Senator Villar has allotted about half or P157 million of his PDAF to his home city.  This is even as his son Mark A. Villar, representative of Las Piñas City in the House today, has also set aside for Las Piñas City part of the P85 million of his own pork funds during the period.
About P64 million of Senator Villar’s PDAF for “hard” projects involved the repair of the Bacoor section of the Daang Hari Road and construction of roads in Molino and Dasmariñas in Bacoor, Cavite, where the Villars have developed real estate projects through the family-controlled Vista Land & Landscapes, Inc.
Daang Hari crosses Las Piñas City and Bacoor, Cavite. Building a road there will in truth ease pedestrian and vehicular access to Vista Land’s rising subdivision projects in the area, notably Cerritos Terraces, Cerrito Heights, Lessandra Heights, Cerritos, and Springville.
According to the website of Camella Homes and Communities, a company of the Vista Land group, most of the Villars’ real estate businesses are located south of Manila – Las Piñas City, Daang Hari, and Bacoor and Imus in Cavite.
Next most wealthy
Then there’s the 2^nd District of Metro Manila, which includes the cities of Quezon, San Juan, Pasig, Marikina, and Mandaluyong. It is the next wealthiest area in the country with a poverty incidence of only 2.4 percent. But it was also the next most pork-endowed district, receiving P203.2 million of the senators’ PDAF allocation.
In the district, Quezon City has the largest share with P119.5 million, the bulk of which came from the PDAF of Senators Francis N. Pangilinan, Edgardo J. Angara, Vicente C. Sotto III, and Miriam Defensor-Santiago.
Pangilinan and Sotto, both Metro Manila residents, allocated P31 million and P23 million, respectively.  Pangilinan set aside some of his PDAF for the purchase of medicines in upper middle-class Barangay Loyola Heights in Quezon City, where he once served as councilor.  Sotto as well released some of his PDAF for the purchase of medicines in Barangay Mariana and an ambulance in Barangay Marilag, where his son Giancarlo Jose serves as councilor.
By comparison, Metro Manila’s poorest 1^st and 3^rd Districts, which include the cities of Manila, Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, and Valenzuela, received only P37.09 million from the senators’ PDAF.
Less for poorest
The poorest provinces of the country, by the latest reports of the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB), also obtained hardly any slivers of pork from the senators. And it would seem like one reason is they are also among the provinces with the thinnest population of voters.

The numbers are clear proof: The poorest provinces got the smallest amounts of PDAF from all the 21 senators combined from June 2010 to June 2012.
Four of the poorest provinces obtained less than P5 million in pork money from the Senate. Only P1.13 million was allocated to Agusan del Sur, P3.5 million to Maguindanao, P4 million to Misamis Occidental, and P4.8 million to Masbate.
Some other poor provinces obtained bigger pork amounts of P10 million to P45 million, but their PDAF releases per capita (PDAF divided by population) remains lower than Metro Manila’s P109.
For instance, Zamboanga del Norte obtained P30 million of pork but its PDAF release per capita is only P33; Northern Samar had P43.25 million and PDAF per capita of only P7.87.
The NSCB lists the poorest provinces as, by order of penury, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Lanao del Norte, Maguindanao, Zamboanga Sibugay, Romblon, Eastern Samar, Misamis Occidental, Northern Samar, Bohol, and Saranggani.
By type of projects, the 21 senators used up 40 percent or P2.08 billion of their combined PDAF on “soft” projects. Of this, a third or P633 million went to livelihood assistance projects, another third or P728.4 million to medical assistance, and the balance, to scholarship, purchase of vehicles, and to forestry and marine development projects.
The pork funds the 21 senators spent on “hard” or infrastructure projects went mostly to high-visibility, small but pervasive projects. Roads and bridges top the list, grabbing P1.11 billion or a fourth of the P5.78 billion in combined PDAF that the senators have secured since June 2010. Another P632 million went to the construction of “education facilities,” and P508 million more for multi-purpose buildings. – PCIJ, July 2012

Disclaimer: I do not own this article, just shared it so that others will be informed. 

http://pcij.org/stories/senators-pdaf-floodsbr-ncr-vote-rich-provinces/

PDAFCorruption Uncovered!

Its more and more corruption in the Philippines. No wonder progress of the country is stalled. :(

A good research from GMA News.

Pork racket: NGO headed by Luy got P225-M from DA's corporate arm

By JAKE SORIANO, GMA News Research July 25, 2013 4:52pm

Despite alarms raised by state auditors over five years, pork barrel funds still went to the same questionable NGOs through a single government corporation, to the tune of P1.5 billion, according to a review of Commission on Audit (COA) documents.

The biggest chunk of the pork was funneled to an NGO headed by Benhur K. Luy, the whistleblower in the recently exposed alleged scam that reportedly defrauded the government of an estimated P10 billion in "pork barrel" funds.

Luy's NGO, the Social Development Program for Farmers Foundation, Inc. (SDPFFI), is one of the groups linked to the scam. Documents obtained by GMA News Research shows that the group received about P225 million through the National Agribusiness Corporation (NABCOR), the corporate arm of the Department of Agriculture that was set up to assist small agribusiness ventures.

Last year, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala stopped the flow of cash from NABCOR to the questionable NGOs. The move ended a pattern of what the COA has cited as anomalous transactions from 2006 to 2011, involving NGOs and players in both the executive and legislative branches of government.

Based in Biñan, Laguna, SDPFFI was formed in July 2004. Listed as its president and board chairman in Its 2012 general information sheet is Luy, who exposed the alleged scam.

In his affidavit, Luy claimed to be an employee of a company owned by businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles, whom he accused of engaging in illegal business transactions with the government.

In a joint sworn statement on March 2013, the parents and siblings of Luy said that Benhur oversaw the implementation of anomalous government-funded projects through foundations such as SDPFFI allegedly being used by Napoles.

In an interview with GMA News, Napoles denied the accusations and implicated Luy instead.

COA objections vs SDPFFI

Year after year, the Commission on Audit (COA) issued the same observations about the transactions of NABCOR, a government-owned and controlled corporation attached to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

In its reports, the COA said the funds seemed to be going to questionable NGOs and POs. And yet, year after year the money kept coming, with NABCOR unable to provide satisfactory answers to the government auditing agency.

As the corporate arm of DA, NABCOR is the leading government corporation in countryside agribusiness enterprises for small farmers and fisherfolk. Since 2006, it had been releasing funds to various foundations for a wide range of projects.

In the case of SDPFFI, P160.54 million from the Priority Development Assistance Fund or PDAF, more commonly known as lawmakers' pork barrel funds, was released to the group in 2008. The following year, it received another P64.75 million

Documents show that the Laguna-based NGO was implementing projects in Sarangani, Agusan del Sur, Benguet, South Cotabato, Pangasinan, Lanao del Sur, and Masbate. This is a violation of COA's Circular 2007-001, which requires NGOs and POs to be "based in the community where the project shall be implemented."

Non-compliance with the requirement disqualifies an NGO or PO from obtaining government funds. But in its answer to the 2008 audit, NABCOR justified its actions, saying that proper coordination was observed in the "tripartite project" involving the participation of legislators, SDPFFI and NABCOR itself.

To support this explanation, NABCOR submitted a list of projects implemented by the foundation as proof of its track record. However, COA rejected this justification, saying "the submission of the list of projects implemented by the NGOs/ POs does not cure" the deficiency it had identified with SDPFFI.

According to the group's articles of incorporation, it was formed to carry out community development programs through the establishment of training centers for the poor and for out-of-school youth.

SDPFFI's corporate records submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) shows that Luy is also among its seven incorporators. Besides Luy, three are based in Manila, while the three others are in Zamboanga City.

One of the foundation's purposes is to "acquire loans and other financial accommodations from the government and private institutions" for its activities and projects.

For a foundation receiving millions in funds from the government, it is interesting to note that SDPFFI only has capital totaling P100,000 from the contribution of its members. Its 2011 financial statement shows that it only has P1 million in assets and zero excess funds.

COA requires a foundation to put up the equivalent of 20 percent of the total cost of the project it would undertake as its own equity participation.

Pork from six legislators

Despite COA's observations in 2008, SDPFFI received millions of pesos more the following year. In its 2009/ 2010 audit, COA said the money came from the PDAF of six legislators, listed in the table below.

Table 1: PDAF received by SDPFFI in 2009

SOURCE OF FUND	AMOUNT RELEASED
ERWIN CHIONGBIAN	13,822,500
RODOLFO PLAZA	9,700,000
SAMUEL DANGWA	7,760,000
ARTHUR PINGOY	2,910,000
ROBERT RAYMUND ESTRELLA	20855000
RIZALINA SEACHON-LANETE	9,700,000
TOTAL	64,747,500

Source: Commission on Audit 

"The office of the legislators nominated SDFFI for the implementation of livelihood projects," COA's report stated. Again, auditors listed the NGO's faults: non-submission of documentary requirements, foundation not based in communities where projects are to be implemented, foundation's financial standing deficiencies.

GMA News tried to reach the six former legislators to get their side on the issue. When the camp of Chiongbian was contacted last week, his nephew, Sarangani Gov. Steve Chiongbian Solon, said his uncle was in the US and would issue an official statement later.

Seachon-Lanete refused to comment, saying her camp is now preparing a statement on the issue. Plaza, Dangwa, Pingoy and Estrella, meanwhile, could not be reached for comment as of this posting.

Aside from the institutional problems of SDPFFI, government auditors also questioned nearly the entire amount released to the group. The COA disclosed that purchases of fertilizers, knapsack sprayers, gardening and agricultural production packages, and other agricultural kits amounting to P64.73 million were not covered by a contract or purchase order.

COA also noted that the schedule of fund releases for projects was not followed. Instead of four scheduled payments (15 percent upon signing of MOA, 35 percent upon submission of accomplishment and disbursement reports, 40 percent upon completion of at least three-fifths of the total project, 10 percent upon submission of terminal report), actual payments were made in two releases (15 percent upon MOA signing, 85 percent upon project completion). The only exceptions were the releases for Chiongbian, which complied with the schedule, and Estrella who made three releases.

The government auditing agency could not confirm that SDPFFI maintained separate bank accounts, as the foundation failed to submit the required documents. In addition, checks released to the foundation amounting to P15.16 million were not crossed for deposit to its bank accounts, while checks amounting to P26.53 million were not presented for audit.

The COA ended its 2009/ 2010 report on SDPFFI with the note that it had yet to hear from NABCOR about the findings.

In an interview with GMA News, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said that because of the COA audit reports, the DA no longer released funds to NGOs and POs through NABCOR starting 2012. Alcala added that DA itself has had liquidation problems with NABCOR.

26 foundations received questionable funds

From 2006 to 2011, the government's audit arm identified at least 26 foundations involved in irregular transactions involving pork barrel funds. At least 12, including SDPFFI, had received government funds more than once, as seen in the table below.

Table 2: Foundations and the pork they received

FOUNDATION	AMOUNT
AARON FOUNDATION PHILIPPINES INC.	97,000,000
BUHAY MO MAHAL KO FOUNDATION INC.	31,525,000
BUKID-TANGLAW LIVELIHOOD FOUNDATION INC.	8,730,000
CENTER FOR MINDORO INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION	9,700,000
CENTER FOR MINDORO INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION INC.	4,850,000
CENTER FOR MINDORO INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION INC.	4,850,000
DR. RODOLFO A. IGNACIO SR. FOUNDATION INC.	9,700,000
GABAY AT PAG-ASA NG MASA FOUNDATION INC	52,865,000
GABAY SA MAGANDANG BUKAS FOUNDATION INC.	2,910,000
GABAYMASA DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION INC.	23,280,000
IKAW AND AKO FOUNDATION INC.	19,400,000
INFINITE COMMUNITY INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT FOUNDATION INC.	26,190,000
INFINITE COMMUNITY INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT FOUNDATION INC.	24,250,000
INTERACTIVE TRAINING OPPORTUNITY ON NEEDS ALLEVIATION (ITO NA!) MOVEMENT INC.	4,365,000
INTERACTIVE TRAINING OPPORTUNITY ON NEEDS ALLEVIATIONS (ITO NA!) MOVEMENT INC.	5,383,500
KAAGAPAY MAGPAKAILANMAN FOUNDATION INC.	57,230,000
KAAGAPAY MAGPAKAILANMAN FOUNDATION INC.	4,850,000
KAAGAPAY MAGPAKAILANMAN FOUNDATION INC.	1,042,750
KABUHAYAN AT KALUSUGANG ALAY SA MASA FOUNDATION	50,440,000
KABUHAYAN AT KALUSUGANG ALAY SA MASA FOUNDATION INC	65,960,000
KABUHAYAN AT KALUSUGANG ALAY SA MASA FOUNDATION INC.	63,341,000
KAGANDAHAN NG KAPALIGIRAN FOUNDATION INC.	109,061,950
KAISA'T KAAGAPAY MO FOUNDATION INC.	55,290,000
KAPUSO'T KAPAMILYA FOUNDATION INC.	12,610,000
KAPUSO'T KAPAMILYA FOUNDATION INC.	76,455,400
KAPUSO'T KAPAMILYA FOUNDATION INC.	4,850,000
KASANGGA SA MAGANDANG BUKAS FOUNDATION INC. (KMBFI)	56,551,000
MASAGANANG ANI PARA SA MAGSASAKA FOUNDATION INC.	112,083,500
MASAGANANG ANI PARA SA MAGSASAKA FOUNDATION INC.	9,700,000
PANGKABUHAYAN FOUNDATION INC.	24,250,000
PANGKABUHAYAN FOUNDATION INC.	9,457,500
PEOPLE'S ORGANIZATION FOR PROGRESS & DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION INC.	24,250,000
SAGIP-BUHAY PEOPLE SUPPORT FOUNDATION INC.	29,100,000
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR FARMERS FOUNDATION INC.	160,535,000
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR FARMERS FOUNDATION INC.	64,747,500
ST. JAMES THE APOSTLE MULTIPURPOSE COOPERATIVE	9,700,000
ST. JAMES THE APOSTLE MULTI-PURPOSE COOPERATIVE	9,700,000
THE LIKHAAN GROUP INC.	4,365,000
THE LIKHAAN GROUP INC.	4,850,000
THE LIKHAAN GROUP INC.	9,215,000
USWAG GUIMARAS FOUNDATION	2,546,250
USWAG GUIMARAS FOUNDATION INC.	13,580,000
USWAG PILIPINAS FOUNDATION INC.	12,804,000
VARIOUS NGOS AND POS	146,038,499
TOTAL	1,529,602,849

Source: GMA News Research, using data from the Commission on Audit

The anomalies continued despite the revised, and more stringent, COA guidelines on the release of funds to NGOs/ POs issued in 2007, in the aftermath of the commission's discovery of the fertilizer fund scam.

Since the 2009 General Appropriations Act (GAA), the government has also made it a policy not to allow NGOs/ POs to participate in projects if they have unliquidated fund releases. Government agencies are also tasked by law to ensure that the NGOs/ POs they deal with are legitimate.

COA's objections to NABCOR's transactions with questionable NGOs/ POs stem from violations of legal requirements that should have rendered them ineligible to receive government funds. The deficiencies and transaction irregularities include the following:

• non-submission of project proposals
• lack of proof of good financial standing for three years preceding the date of project implementation
• incapability of a foundation to put up its own equity participation without using funds, i.e. government funds, allocated to it
• non-compliance with COA rule that an NGO/ PO must be based in the community where its project is to be implemented
• non-submission of required documents for audit
• liquidation deficiencies
• non-compliance with bidding requirements

In its latest COA audit covering transactions in 2011, released this year, the same set of complaints appear, with the COA still unsatisfied with NABCOR's explanations.

Seven foundations run by the same people

Among the COA's findings, one observation stood out: at least seven foundations allegedly involved in irregular transactions with the government are being run by the same individuals.

"Marilou L. Antonio was the Project Coordinator of Buhay Mo Mahal Ko Foundation, Inc. and Ikaw at Ako Foundation, Inc. and Chief Finance Officer of Kabuhayan at Kalusugang Alay Sa Masa while Marilou C. Ferrer was the Project Coordinator of Kapuso't Kapamilya Foundation, Inc. and Corporate Secretary of Kabuhayan at Kalusugang Alay sa Masa," COA observed in 2007.

In a 2008 audit, COA disclosed that Antonio, Ferrer and Godofredo G. Roque were also incorporators of Gabay at Pag-asa ng Masa Foundation, Inc., Kasangga sa Magandang Bukas Foundation, Inc. and Kaagapay Magpakailanman Foundation, Inc.

Table 3: Foundations with interlocking officers

FOUNDATION	AMOUNT RECEIVED
BUHAY MO MAHAL KO FOUNDATION, INC.	31,525,000
KAPUSO'T KAPAMILYA FOUNDATION, INC.	93,915,400
IKAW AT AKO FOUNDATION, INC.	19,400,000
KABUHAYAN AT KALUSUGANG ALAY SA MASA FOUNDATION	179,741,000
GABAY AT PAG-ASA NG MASA FOUNDATION, INC.	52,865,000
KASANGGA SA MAGANDANG BUKAS FOUNDATION, INC.	56,551,000
KAAGAPAY MAGPAKAILANMAN FOUNDATION, INC.	63,122,750
TOTAL	497,120,150

Source: GMA News Research, based on data from the Commission on Audit

Altogether, these foundations received PDAF amounting to almost half a billion pesos in the years audited by COA.

The three foundations that received the biggest government funds were PDAF recipients on three different years, despite COA's observations of their involvement in irregular transactions with NABCOR.

Fertilizer fund mess

Irregularities in government transactions, particularly in the agriculture sector, with NGOs/ POs are nothing new.

COA's 2008 release of a special audit on the P728 million Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) farm input fund, which uncovered what is now known as the fertilizer fund scam, has led to the revision and tightening of guidelines on government transactions with foundations.

The Senate probed the fertilizer scam, conducting inquiries in 2005, 2006 and 2008. The report it released in February 2009 recommended the filing of charges, but only against officials no higher than an agriculture undersecretary.

A plunder complaint against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in relation to the scandal was filed in June 2011 before the Department of Justice (DOJ). The following month, the Ombudsman ordered the probe on Mrs. Arroyo's alleged involvement in the case, which has yet to reach the preliminary investigation stage.

Inaction on the fertilizer fund scam was one of the charges leveled against former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez in two impeachment charges against her. In 2011, the House impeached Gutierrez, who resigned before she could face trial in the Senate.

To date, the fertilizer fund scam has yet to be resolved. — RSJ/YA/HS, GMA News

 

Filipino Cheating Culture

     It is very sad to hear that Culture of Dishonesty is very common in the Philippines. From the common of the commoners to the richest of the rich... from top government officials to the officials in Baranggay.  

     Honesty must start within me and through me. Never tolerate dishonesty and corruption.

Cheating cops copy wrong test answers

By Niña P. Calleja
Philippine Daily Inquirer

12:34 am | Wednesday, July 24th, 2013

Dishonesty in the police force lurks even at the outset of a prospective career in law enforcement, the National Police Commission (Napolcom) has found.
A total of 205 aspiring policemen and 20 rookie policemen in Mindanao cheated in the entrance and promotional exams given last year, the Napolcom announced on Tuesday. The agency is tasked with administering the tests.
“We don’t want dishonest cops to come in. We don’t want to undermine the credibility of the Philippine National Police. Who would believe the PNP if cheaters can be policemen?” Eduardo Escueta, Napolcom vice chair and executive officer, told the Inquirer.
Escueta said the results of the tests taken by the 225 examinees had been nullified after cheating became obvious to the agency’s experts, including copying ready-made answers—even the wrong ones.
The exams were conducted in various test centers across the country on April 29, 2012, and Oct. 14, 2012. These included current events, job knowledge, familiarity with the law and law enforcement.
Police applicants need a rating of at least 75 percent to pass the exam and qualify for the next tests, which cover psychology, medical and physical agility. If they pass all the tests, they will be admitted to a one-year training program at Philippine Public Safety College.
Every year, an average of only 20 percent of the examinees obtain passing marks.
Answer pattern
The Napolcom discovered the latest incident of cheating through a computer-generated answer pattern analysis. It regularly conducts the activity to prevent unqualified people from entering the PNP and maintain the credibility and integrity of the police exams.
The results of last year’s tests taken by 151 applicants on April 29, 2012, and 54 others on Oct. 14, 2012, were found to have a high percentage of similar patterns of wrong answers ranging from 50 percent to 100 percent.
A high percentage of similar patterns of wrong answers was discovered in the results of the April 29 tests taken by 20 police officers 1 (PO1).
According to Escueta, the “high percentage of homogeneity of wrong answers” is statistically improbable.
The results of the pattern analysis have also been regarded as “prima facie evidence” that points to an irregularity or cheating as cited in Section 4 of Republic Act No. 9416, otherwise known as the Anti-Cheating Law of 2007.
Sanctions
Those found to have cheated will be barred from taking the PNP entrance exams for three years, according to Napolcom Memorandum Circular No. 2000-007. The circular prescribes sanctions in case of cheating, collusion, misrepresentation, substitution or any anomalous acts in connection with the administration of the police exams.
“They could also be charged for dishonesty and be meted the penalty of dismissal from the service,” Escueta said. He even proposed a lifetime ban from taking police exams on cheaters.
The Napolcom official said the desire of applicants to become policemen was more intense in Mindanao than in other parts of the country. “Probably because they thought that getting a job in the police was easier,” he said.
“Now they learned their lessons the hard way. It was not that easy to cheat police exams,” Escueta said.
He noted that the number of cheaters had declined from 2008 when some 400 were found to be bearing kodigo (secret answer guide).
Escueta said the Napolcom was determined to weed out “anyone who undermines the sanctity and integrity” of the police exams.
He said those qualified to enter the police service must continue to imbibe important values, such as honesty, integrity and merit, and fitness principles.

NAIA Terminal 1 voted 'Worst airport in Asia'

Ooops! We did it again! 

Congratulations to the management of NAIA Terminal 1!!
It always boils down to the management of NAIA Terminal 1. They are the policy makers.. they are the one who will implement rules and standards to the staff, workers, porters, drivers, janitor, passengers, or any person in NAIA Terminal 1. Unfortunately they themselves have this culture and mind set that.. "Pwede na yan.." "Hayaan mo na yan.." It lacks decency and order.. so much the more about discipline.

People of the Philippines will definitely obey if management is firm enough to implement a high standards when it comes to services in NAIA Terminal 1.

Again, Congratulations to another feather in the cap!


For more details, please see the links:

http://www.sleepinginairports.net/asia/index.htm
http://www.sleepinginairports.net/asia/manila.htm 

Disorganized taxi lanes, chaotic atmosphere outside the Ninoy Aquino Int'l Airport's Terminal 1, are among the reasons why it was voted 'worst airport in Asia in 2012 by the readers of the online travel site The Guide to Sleeping in Airports. 'With its collapsing ceilings, overcrowding, rampant bribery, and taxi drivers scamming travelers on fares, it's easy to understand why ‘disappointed’ and ‘unbelievable’ are just a few of the words travelers use to describe the place.'

#from http://www.gmanetwork.com

Sec. Jesse Robredo - Paalam

"Greatness is not measured on how much power you have but on how you have influenced others.. how you touched their lives.. how you showed your genuine love.. and served others."

Sec. Jessie Robredo - you will be dearly missed.. one of the few good men.. an inspiration to me personally.

Ganun yata talaga ang buhay.. ang matitinong lider na may pagmamahal sa ating bansa ay nawawala agad samantalang ang mga corrupt at walang kunsensiyang lider ay humahaba pa ang buhay... :((

Paalam Sec. Jesse Robredo.. :(

 -----

picture taken from http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/robredo

DFA Defective e-Passport

Isa ako sa mga nakaranas ng ganitong pangyayari. Mabuti na lang at naisulat din ito sa GMA News.

Ang aking trabaho ay madalas magbiyahe sa ibang bansa para sa iba't ibang proyekto na may kinalaman sa IT. Kadalasan ang Immigration sa Europe ay pinapatanggal ang plastic cover o kahit anong cover ng passport kaya tuluyan ko ng tinanggal.

Sa kagagamit ng aking passport ito ay napilas o natanggal sa mismong cover nito. Ito ay dahil sa mahinang quality o kalidad ng papel na pinagdidikitan dito.

Pumila ako sa POEA bago mag alas 7:00 ng umaga para mairenew ang aking passport. Ang kanilang opisina ay 8:00AM nagbubukas kaya naghintay pa ako ng 1 oras at yung oras ng paghihintay... kasi marami ding nakapila bago ako. Dala ko na mga requirements para magrenew.. Nung ako na ang nasa counter.. "Sir di po pwedeng magrenew ng e-Passport dito.. dun po kayo sa DFA sa Diosdado Macapagal Avenue.." ngeeek!! Para naman akong binuhusan ng mainit na tubig!  eh antagal ko kayang nakapila ang naghihintay doon.. ganun talaga ang buhay.."That's life.."

Nagschedule ako ulit para sa e-Passport renewal sa DFA.. 18 May 2012..sabi sa akin ng taga POEA ay pwede na akong dumiretso sa courtesy lane... ayos pala at least di na ako pipila ng mahaba. Bawal pala ang bottled drinks sa loob.. pasok ako sa loob tapos pinapila ako sa 2nd floor - yun ang pila para sa Senior Citizen at Govt employees.. sabi sa akin ng nasa counter.. "Sir balik po kayo doon sa Step 1.." "Ano! eh nakapila na nga ako dito eh.." sa isip ko lang yun. 

Balik sa Step 1 sa 1st floor... "Mutilated po ang passport nyo.. apply kayo ng Affidavit of Mutilation.. labas kayo at kaliwa sa bandang dulo.." Pumila ulit ako sa kuhanan ng affidavit.. Affidavit of Mutilation = P300.. sige na nga.. kailangan naman yun eh..

Sunod pinapunta ako sa DFA office kung saan dun pumipila ang may mga reklamo sa passport. Pumila ako doon simula 8AM.. dahil sa walang sistema kung sino ang nauna o number system.. 10:30 na ay di pa natatawag ang pangalan ko. Tinanong ko yung guard kung nakapila na ba yung pangalan ko.. sabi sa akin maghintay lang daw.. Nagpaalam muna ako na pupunta ako ng banyo.. sasabog na kasi ang pantog ko sa kahihintay eh.. umihi ako ng 5 minutes.. 11:30 na ay wala pa rin.. Ano ba naman yan.. di pa rin natatawag ang pangalan ko. Tinanong ko ulit yung guard.. "Ay natawag na pangalan mo.." - "Pambihira naman.." parang gusto kong patayin sa tingin ang guardiya. "Eh bakit di nyo sinabi sa akin, antagal kong naghihintay dito ah!" siyempre sa isip ko lang yun.

Ayun pina-upo na ako sa isang DFA officer.. "Good morning Mam.." sabay upo... "Mutilated po ang passport nyo.. siguro nabasa ho ang passport nyo.. ayan o may marka pa.." "Ay Mam mahina lang talaga yung quality ng papel o pagkakagawa.. iniingatan ko nga yan eh.. di yan nabasa.." Antindi naman nito, inaakusahan pa ako ng bagay na di ko ginawa.. "Sir  parang mag-aapply ulit kayo ng panibago.. at isa sa requirements namin ay original Birth Certificate.."  "Haaano!! eh wala akong dala ngayon eh.." "Kung gusto nyo may NSO dyan sa malapit.."  Ang di ko maunawaan bakit kailangan pa ng NSO Birth Certificate eh may dati naman akong passport na dala.. nasira nga lang dahil sa low quality ang material nya.

Bumalik ako sa opisina namin.. naghanap ng NSO Birth Certificate... at bumalik ulit sa DFA.. pambihirang buhay ito o! Di na ako pumila, dumiretso na ako dun sa DFA officer kanina. Pasalamat naman ako at inasikaso nya ako ng maayos. "Sir.. wag nyong sisirain yung passport nyo.. criminal offense po yan.." "Ayos to ah, ako na nga yung naagrabyado dahil sa madaling mapunit na passport dahil low quality ang pagkakagawa, tapos ako pa yung may criminal offense..." - warning lang naman yun sabi ng DFA officer.

Ayun, nagbayad ulit ako ng P1,200 para sa rush delivery na 1 week (sa totoo lang.. di ito 1 week kundi 2 weeks). Pumila sa pagbayad, pagkuha ng picture at personal details, at pagbayad ulit sa delivery.

Damages:

Affidavit of Mutilation - P  300

Passport Fee               - P1,200

Delivery Service          - P   120

Total                            P1,620

Nagastusan ka na... pinahirapan ka pa!

It's more fun in the Philippines!

-----

Some PHL e-passports defective –DFA

June 19, 2012 6:21pm

Some electronic passports (e-passports) issued by the Office of the Consular Affairs were defective and could easily tear, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday.

“[DFA] is well aware of this issue,” Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said, quickly adding that these are “isolated cases.”

“The DFA and BSP wish to assure that these are random/isolated cases," Hernandez said.

Bangko Sentral and contractor Oberthur Philippines are producing the e-passports.

“To rectify the situation, the BSP production unit has been applying spine reinforcement tape which secures the stitching of the e-covers to the inside pages of the e-passport, thus making it difficult to detach unless there are attempts to deliberately remove the same," Hernandez noted.

Filipinos travelers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport noted that e-passports were of poor quality and easily disintegrated when pulled out of a plastic jacket.

“The DFA office of Consular Affairs is advising the public that if one's passport gets detached, please proceed immediately to its office for replacement," the DFA spokesman said.

He did not elaborate whether passport replacement is free of charge, or if holders would have to pay the P1,200 fee.

Tampered identities

Airport supervisor Augustus Caesar Morales discouraged travelers from using a clear plastic as a protective cover for e-passports.

“Over time, the passport cover sticks to the plastic jacket, and when an immigration agent tries to remove it so that the document could be inserted in the machine to have the data read, the passport cover plastic sticks together, while the binding of pages become loose,” he said.

The P900 million e-passport project was launched in August 2009 by DFA and BSP.

Aside from defective e-passport, non-government organization Visayan Forum urged the DFA to investigate how syndicates tamper with e-passports.

The issuance of e-passports does not guarantee that trafficking syndicates can no longer tamper with the identities of the minors and women usually being trafficked for sex exploitation and forced labor, the group said.

“It is really the pictures of these minors that appear in their passports, but the personal information are usually tampered. The DFA should investigate on this,” Cecilia Flores-Oebanda, VF executive director said. —Rouchelle Dinglasan/VS, GMA News 

Corruption in the Philippines

Kaya hindi umunlad unlad ang Pilipinas.. andaming corrupt o gahaman sa gobyerno. Ang para sa tao ay napupunta sa mga pulitiko. Dapat dito hindi ikinukulong, dapat firing squad kung mapapatunayang may kasalanan!


P10B agri funds drained
Loans unpaid; execs paid 35% kickbacks
By Kristine L. Alave
Philippine Daily Inquirer

It was worse than the fertilizer scam.

A P10-billion fund meant to help small farmers, fisherfolk and agriculture entrepreneurs raise their skills and production was used as a cash cow of agriculture officials, politicians and businessmen “favored” by the Arroyo administration for almost a decade, officials said.

The discovery of irregularities in Acef (Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund) has led lawmakers and agriculture officials to suspend the program in January and to review its implementation.

What they saw, according to officials who checked the Acef records, was a long list of companies and beneficiaries who failed to pay back their loans.

The same officials also heard of complaints from borrowers who said that agriculture officials demanded kickbacks in exchange for loan approvals.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said his office had received complaints from beneficiaries and those who tried to apply for the fund that former agriculture officials had asked for kickbacks in exchange for approving their loans.

Legitimate projects were also set aside in favor of proponents who have questionable projects but are willing to provide kickbacks, officials said.

“As we investigated it, we found out that the majority of those who did not pay were the ones who were complaining about the kickbacks,” Alcala said. “It was as high as 20 to 35 percent,” he noted.

A senior agriculture official also noted that the Acef executive committee was lax in approving projects. Some proponents, who promised to give commissions, were not even required to appear at the Department of Agriculture to explain their projects, the official said.

Alcala said it was the Acef management that was accused of being the recipients of bribes. “They got money out of proceeds. After the funds are released, something goes to them,” he said.

Although the reports and complaints were numerous, Alcala said it was difficult to pin down the errant officials. “Of course, these had no receipts,” he said.

Some borrowers were also reluctant to say something on record because they knew that they got the deal out of bad faith, Alcala said.

The practice of asking for commissions in exchange for loan approval was confirmed by Gregorio San Diego, president of United Broilers Raisers Association (Ubra).

Four years ago, Ubra applied as a cooperative for the Acef to build a broiler breeder facility in Pampanga. San Diego said his group was encouraged by then Secretary Arthur Yap, but when the application reached the central office of the agriculture department, it was denied.

“They asked 10 percent from us,” he said, noting that it was considered a discount. “Others were told to give 35 percent,” he added.

In the end, Ubra decided not to push through with its application, San Diego said.

Senator Francis Pangilinan, cochair of the congressional oversight Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization, and sources confirmed that some of those who applied for the fund were personalities and politicians “favored” by the past administration.

‘Lender of last resort’

An industry source and an agriculture official, who reviewed the project and requested anonymity because of lack of authority to discuss the matter, described the use of Acef in the last decade as “plunder.”

“This was bigger than the fertilizer scam,” the industry source said, referring to the misuse of P728 million in agriculture funds under then Undersecretary Jocelyn “Joc-Joc” Bolante.

The fund, intended to benefit farmers, was said to have been diverted to the campaign kitty of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2004. Bolante and former Agriculture Secretary Cito Lorenzo have been charged with plunder at the Sandiganbayan.

“This was supposed to be for agricultural enhancement but they have become the lender of last resort,” the source said, referring to Acef.

Acef, established in 1996 and funded by tariffs from agricultural products, is a funding mechanism aimed at providing financial support to the agriculture sector to increase their competitiveness in the global market.

Safety net

The money from the taxes was supposed to be used to establish “safety nets” for agriculture sectors affected by trade liberalization.

“That was the basic tenet of Acef, but it was not followed. If it was implemented properly, say the industries were given common services, it would have made Philippine agriculture competitive. But this was not followed. Even those projects that were not aimed at competitiveness were given funding,” the industry source noted.

The fund was set up to enable farmers, fisherfolk, and cooperatives to upgrade their skills and facilities so that they can compete in an increasingly globalized agriculture market.

Loans up to P30M

Under the program, agricultural workers, cooperatives, nongovernment organizations, and local government units may take out loans ranging from P500,000 to P30 million.

Acef was supposed to have a 10-year life-span, but the agriculture department, during the term of former Secretary Yap, issued several memoranda extending the program and its scope.

Collateral-, interest-free

The program was especially designed to encourage small and medium agricultural enterprises to borrow from it as it does not demand a collateral from them and is interest-free. The lack of these requirements opened the fund to abuse and was the main reason for the low-repayment rate, officials said.

Acef contained P10.73 billion accumulated from collected tariffs from 1990 to 2010, according to the Department of Agriculture’s preliminary report as of February 2011.

During that period, the fund used P8.85 billion, mostly for grants and loans.

As of February, the agriculture department said P2.57 billion went to grants, while P5.82 billion went to loans to 299 accounts. Included in the loan portfolio was a P1-billion grant to the bankrupt Quedancor, which was supposed to be used for the agency’s training program. At about P372.78 million was used to fund scholarship programs.

Quedancor did not remit a single centavo to Acef and even borrowers who failed to pay were allowed to borrow huge sums again, officials said.

As of early 2011, only about P1.8 billion remained in Acef coffers as many of the creditors failed to pay back their loans over the years, the Department of Agriculture said.

Failure

Despite the huge amounts of money that were funneled into the fund since its creation, the credit mechanism that was supposed to improve Philippine agriculture, provide employment in the countryside and raise the income of farmers and fisherfolk failed in its vision.

In March, the technical working group on Acef said: “Available data indicate that the Acef has not been able to provide loans to the marginalized farmers and fisherfolk; but mostly to small and medium enterprises.”

In a report, the Commission on Audit (COA) said Acef was a failure. “The purpose of the program to raise farm productivity by extending credit to small farmers, fisherfolk and agricultural entrepreneurs was not achieved as manifested by the low collection rate of amortization due from the proponents. The inability of the proponents to pay the amortization is an indication that their livelihood agricultural activities did not succeed,” the report said.

Yap’s friend

One of the borrowers who was not punctual in paying his loan was Lyndon Tan, owner of Basic Necessity, a vegetable farm in Cavite, and a friend of former Secretary Yap.

Yap, project head of the book, “The Art of Agribusiness: 111 and More Success Stories in Agri-Entrepreneurship,” cited Tan as an example of a successful Filipino farm entrepreneur.

Tan, according to a recent agriculture department audit, sells his greens to supermarkets and restaurants. He borrowed P38 million from the fund for his farm in the mid-2000s. He only paid P4 million of it.

The COA also noted that Acef was inefficient and questioned why certain companies that did not remit were still given a chance to borrow millions of pesos.

In its 2010 report, the COA said five proponents with Acef loans of P72.245 million were given additional loans of P35.659 million for the same project, even if previous loans were not yet paid.

Gemsum Marketing

The companies were identified by CAA as C and L Farms, Hi-Las Marketing Corp., Moraleda Farms, Queen’s Agro-Industrial Farms Inc. and Gemsum Marketing.

But that was just the tip of the iceberg. There were 46 proponents who got loans from 2000 to 2008 but “have not paid a single installment,” the agriculture department said. Their loans from Acef totaled P802.95 million.

Baler-Casiguran road

Senator Edgardo Angara, a former agriculture secretary who authored the law that established the Acef, has been identified as one of the beneficiaries.

Angara’s home province Aurora received P300 million from the fund, according to an audit by the agriculture department.

Angara was cited by two sources as the one who recommended projects to the Acef committee.

The audit by the agriculture department found out that Aurora, Angara’s home province, benefited from two grants.

In 2008, the local government of Aurora received P200 million for the concreting of the Baler-Casiguran Highway.

Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas said the Baler-Casiguran Road was built to serve Angara’s Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport project.

In 2007, Aurora State University received P100 million for a project called Enhancement of Technology-Based Agribusiness Industry.

In a phone interview, Angara said he could not recall recommending the grant of P200 million for the concreting of the Baler-Casiguran road.

“Who is the source of that report? I do not recall … Why would they even use the word competitiveness for that? And why would I recommend it,” he told the Inquirer Tuesday night.

Angara said it was more likely that the P200 million came from his pork barrel.

“And if it indeed came from my pork barrel, that would not be considered irregular since it came from my (Priority Development Assistance Fund),” the senator added. With a report from Cathy Yamsuan

Ghost Employees = Corruption

Sana kayo ang multuhin sa ginagawa nyong pagnanakaw ng di nyo naman pera.

PNP ghost pensioners robbed govt of P1B, says Robredo
ANDREO C. CALONZO, GMA News
09/01/2011 | 08:42 PM
(Updated 11:18 p.m.) "Ghost" pensioners in the Philippine National Police (PNP) robbed the government of around P1 billion in the last five years, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo said Thursday.

Since 2006, the PNP spent between P200 million and P250 million a year on dead employees and on persons who are not even in the police force, Robredo said.

"Napakarami nila. May mga pangalan diyan na sabi namin, kung sisiyasatin natin, hindi talaga sila dapat na binibigyan (ng pension)," he said at a press briefing at the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City.

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), which supervises the PNP, was able to identify 2,000 “ghost" pensioners in two weeks of investigation, he added.

Robredo also ordered that the release of monthly pensions be deferred so that the list of pensioners can be further cleansed.

“Ngayon po, pinagtutugma pa ‘yung pinaka-database ng kapulisan kung sino ho ‘yung dapat nagretiro na at sino ho binbibigyan ng retirement. Makikita kung sino ho ang hindi dapat bigyan," he said.

'Big syndicate' behind bogus employees

The DILG chief further said he suspects that a “big syndicate" was behind the bogus employees. He particularly identified one Marlon Reyes, a former policeman, as the supposed leader of the syndicate.

“Eto ho ang pinagdududahan na puno’t dulo nung kalakaran, subalit naniniwala kami na hindi ho pwede na siya lang. May iba pang kasama, kasi ito po napakalaking sindikato," Robredo said.

He refused to link any former PNP official in the anomaly, saying it is better to wait for the full report on the irregularities, which he said will be released in two weeks.

"Tingnan natin kung ano ‘yung datos na lalabas. Kung kailangan ihinto ulit (ang pension), ihihinto uli," he said.

'Anomalous' vehicle repairs

Meanwhile, the DILG on Thursday also named 30 more officers and personnel, including retired police comptroller Eliseo dela Paz, who will face a probe for alleged anomalies in the repair of light armored vehicles in 2007.

Robredo said he has ordered the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) to investigate and possibly charge at least 36 police officers and civilians who may have had a hand in the supposed anomaly.

“Ang kailangan imbestigahan, umpisa sa chief PNP hanggang doon sa logistics support services. Maliban po dito, syempre medyo malaki po ‘yung indication na mayroong collusion [with the bidders]," Robredo said.

The DILG secretary’s revelations come at a time when other PNP officials are involved in the allegedly anomalous sale of helicopters to the Philippines’ police force.

The CIDG last week said it will file criminal and administrative charges before the Office of the Ombudsman against PNP personnel involved in the chopper mess. — PE/KBK/VS, GMA News

Corruption in the Philippines

Aquino wants to know why PCSO owes gov’t hospitals P3B

By Norman Bordadora
Philippine Daily Inquirer

CALAMBA CITY, Laguna—President Benigno Aquino III wants to know why the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO)—which hands out tens of millions of pesos in lottery prizes—still owes state hospitals P3 billion.

Mr. Aquino said the result is that government hospitals refuse PCSO guarantees presented by poor patients.

Speaking to reporters Friday, Mr. Aquino also said he would ask PCSO Chair Margarita Juico to explain the gaming agency’s alleged spending of P500,000 for public relations to burnish its image.

“I will call Chairman Juico and ask her if that is precisely the case,” Mr. Aquino said when asked about the public relations expenses of the present PCSO board.

“That should be part of the investigation also that is ongoing,” he added.

The President, however, said his priority was to bring back the PCSO to “solid financial footing” to fully meet its mandate of providing for the needs of poor Filipinos.

Charity is first

He expressed concern that the unpaid obligations with state hospitals had caused government institutions to refuse PCSO guarantees presented by indigent patients.

“My first priority as far as PCSO is concerned is the arrears, I understand, with government hospitals to the tune of P3 billion. Their guarantees are no longer accepted by these government hospitals,” he said.

“So what is their function? It’s charity sweepstakes. The charity aspect should be first,” Mr. Aquino said.

He said he couldn’t understand how the PCSO arrears could reach multibillion-peso levels.

PR expenses

“I’m sorry. There’s already a bit of frustration here. The PCSO was set up to take care of indigents. It has arrears of P3 billion with the Lung Center, Heart Center, etc. There are many other situations like these,” the President said.

“Considering the PCSO’s huge amounts set aside as cash prize money for lotteries, “how can you get to the point that a government entity rejects guarantees of another government agency?” Mr. Aquino asked.

“Don’t you think that’s more important?” he said.

Former PCSO director Manuel Morato the other day said the current PCSO board spent more than P500,000 over a three-month period last year for public affairs and reputation “management.” He showed reporters a photo copy of a billing invoice from a company called EON Stakeholder Relations Firm.

Juico said she had no knowledge of such a contract. But she admitted that media practitioner Dante Ang, a public relations consultant for the PCSO is paid P25,000 a month.

In a phone interview Friday with the Inquirer, Ang said: “I’m not part of EON. I don’t know the people behind it.” With a report from Christian V. Esguerra

Ngayon lang naglabasan ang baho ng kabulukan sa PCSO. Isipin mo ba naman na umabot ng 3B ang utang nito sa mga hospitals... Anak ng tinapang galunggong! Eh halos andami dami ng mga tumataya dito at siguradong kumikita ito. Dapat talagang makulong ng habang buhay ang may mga kasong plunder o nangungurakot sa pera ng bayan. Kung pwede lang sanang ibalik ang death penalty gamit ang firing squad.. mas pabor ako doon.