Ibagsak ang Kurap at Nangurakot sa Bayan: P 728-Milyon lahat!

Dapat ay sa mga mahihirap na magsasaka napunta Hindi sa gulping kakapal na at mabibigat na bulsa! Sakim at ganid baga ngani ang tawag doon? O Ina ng Dilim, Unos at Alimuom? Ex-government officials in fertilizer scam post bail By Michael Punongbayan (The Philippine Star) May 17, 2011

MANILA, Philippines - Three former ranking government officials accused of involvement in the so-called fertilizer fund scam of 2004 posted bail in different amounts at the Sandiganbayan yesterday.
Former Catanduanes governor Leonardo Verceles Jr., who is facing one graft case, paid P30,000 in exchange for his temporary liberty.

Former lawmakers Nanette Castelo-Daza of Quezon City and Carmencita Reyes of Marinduque, on the other hand, posted bail in the amount of P60,000 each since they are also facing technical malversation charges apart from alleged violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

They were the first of many respondents to show up at the anti-graft court after the cases against them were raffled off to different Sandiganbayan divisions on Friday. Verceles, Reyes and Daza were among those who were identified as supposed beneficiaries of missing fertilizer funds.

The Office of the Ombudsman ordered the filing of charges against them last month after years of conducting an investigation into the alleged anomaly involving P728 million in public funds. The anti-graft agency also ordered the filing of plunder charges against former agriculture secretary Luis Lorenzo and former undersecretary Jocelyn “Jocjoc” Bolante.

However, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), the prosecutorial arm of the Office of the Ombudsman, has decided not to file the cases yet because both respondents filed motions for reconsideration of the resolution that found probable cause to indict them in court.

Deputy Special Prosecutor Jesus Micael said Reyes and Daza’s graft and technical malversation cases went to the Sandiganbayan First and Third Divisions, respectively, while the graft case against Verceles also went to the First Division.

He said all three posted bail even though the anti-graft court is yet to issue warrants for their arrest.
Micael has not scheduled arraignment dates.

In its Resolution, the Office of the Ombudsman said P56.64 million of the P728 million in fertilizer funds transferred to the regional field units remain unaccounted for, which is “proof of diversion, misappropriation, misuse, or malversation of public funds

SCAMMERS daw oh! Ga-ABONO wari kita!

FERTILIZER 'SCAMMERS' FALL!

(Clockwise from extreme left) Representatives Carmencita Reyes, Nanette Daza, Oscar Gozos and Federico Sandoval)

Lawmakers face graft raps before Sandiganbayan

By John Constantine G. Cordon, Reporter
A TOTAL of 25 counts of graft, malversation and illegal use of public funds have been filed before the Sandiganbayan over the alleged P728-million fertilizer fund scam against four lawmakers and a number of regional executive directors of the Agriculture department.

Informations transmitted by the Office of the Ombudsman to the anti-graft court showed that former Representatives Oscar Gozos (Fourth District of Batangas), Federico Sandoval (Lone District of Navotas City in Metro Manila), Nanette Daza (Fourth District of Quezon City) and Carmencita Reyes (Lone District of Marinduque) were slapped with charges of violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and illegal use of public funds (technical malversation).

The Office of the Ombudsman charged each lawmaker for allegedly receiving cash that was part of the P728-million fertilizer fund allocation under the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani of then-President and now Rep. Gloria Arroyo of the Second District of Pampanga.

Reyes allegedly received P5 million and the three other lawmakers, P3 million each, which all of them used, as purchase orders showed, to buy agricultural equipment such as wood shredders and chippers.
The money was allegedly disbursed from the Agriculture department to regional executive directors who handed the cash to the lawmakers.

The cash was reportedly used to fund the campaign kitty of Mrs. Arroyo when she ran for president in the 2004 elections, which she eventually won.

The Ombudsman found out that former Agriculture Undersecretary Joceyln “Joc-Joc” Bolante orchestrated the disbursement of the fertilizer fund with the approval of then-Agriculture Secretary Luis Ramon “Cito” Lorenzo.

The regional directors of the Agriculture department who were also charged with graft and malversation were Sumail Sekak (Cotabato City), Leo Cañeda (Tacloban City), Dennis Araullo (Quezon City), Oscar Parawan (Zamboanga City), Cesar Rodriguez (San Fernando City), Roger Chio (Davao City), Eduardo Lecciones (Tagbilaran City Unit 7) and Ricardo Oblena (Tagbilaran City Unit 6).

During an earlier interview, acting Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro said that the filing of the charges before the Sandiganbayan took time because of the fact-checking process that the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) undertook.

The Office of the Ombudsman affirmed the filing of the charges on April 15. But only on May 6 did the OSP transmit the charges to the Sandiganbayan. At press time, only the graft and malversation charges against the four lawmakers and the regional executive directors of the Agriculture department were sent to the anti-graft court.

Galing sa: manilatimes.net