JUST WHEN THE SCANDALOUS NBN-ZTE broadband deal with China and the equally controversial North Rail project were about to be forgotten, here comes another government deal that really stinks.
How about these for starters?
Two leading national dailies, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Philippine Star, have just came out with the news that House Speaker Prospero Nograles' brother, identified as Jose Nograles, a senior vice president of Land Bank, is reportedly linked to a P5- billion loan from the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) to the Quedan and Rural Credit Guarantee Corp. (QUEDANCOR), some P1- billion of which was allegedly diverted to the controversial Swine Fund Program of the present administration.
It appears that as of this time even though the money was released during the last elections yet, people from the Commission on Audit (COA) are still asking and looking where the swine or pigs can be located, if ever.
The Commission on Audit (COA) is not only trying to find where the pigs are, considering that P114.6 -million has allegedly been paid for arranger's fees, legal and notarial fees just for the transaction, but also where the rest of the money went. The P114.6- million allegedly went to Nograles, the speaker's brother. COA is questioning why such a huge amount can be expended when Land Bank and Quedancor are government agencies, and they don't have to spend for such kind of expenses involving several millions of public money in commissions and legal services rendered. And yes, they are still trying to account for the pigs.
Meanwhile, the Land Bank had already paid the huge amount mentioned earlier even as Speaker Nograles maintains that the P114.6 million was not received by his brother. The paper trail on the anomalous transaction however points to Jose Nograles, a top executive of Land Bank, as one of those who made millions in the deal.
Senator Jamby Madrigal who exposed the swine fund mess, however, stood by her story against the Speaker's brother. Tsk, tsk, tsk.
Not even the courts are spared the shameless goings-on in government. The ongoing feud between GSIS and MERALCO appears to have endangered at least three (3) court of appeals (CA) justices.
For the first time in its history, all the divisions of the appellate court met en banc and behind closed doors to take up the most recent controversy involving its members. The most endangered appears to be CA Justice Jose Sabio, whose alleged friend businessman Francis de Borja, executed an affidavit implicating the justice in a deal that would involve P50-milion, plus a promotion to the Supreme Court, reportedly in exchange for a favorable decision for the GSIS group.
Lawyers are no angels, but this kind of scandal or is it a shakedown involving no less than the justices of the appellate courts if true, is certainly unacceptable to both lawyers and laymen.
And because of the swine fund scam, who can forget former Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn 'Jocjoc' Bolante, allegedly the brains behind the P728- million fertilizer fund scam.
The money after being reportedly released from Malacanang was in turn received by the Agriculture Department in care of 'Jocjoc' Bolante, by way of a Special Allotment Release Order or SARO. To justify the release of the money, 'Jocjoc' reportedly submitted a list of 110 congressmen, 53 governors and several mayors as proponents- recipients of the largesse.
The problem was that several of the congressmen and mayors involved were from Metro Manila, where there are no ricefields nor cornfields to be fertilized. Still another problem for 'Jocjoc', is that COA confirmed the finding of graft in the fertilizer deal. COA declared that the fertilizers were overpriced by some 800 to 1,200 percent. If COA is indeed correct, then we can say that this kind of deal can only be hatched in heaven or hell, depending on which side you stand. He, he, he.
By the way, even if the SWS surveys say some 10.6 million Filipino families consider themselves poor or roughly 59%, still we are hopeful that with the 2010 national elections less than two (2) years away, the chance for redemption is not really that far. The presidential candidates to a man look quite good and most of them are self- made men and women of wealth and substance.
There is Senate Pres. Manny Villar of the Nationalista Party, Vice Pres. Noli de Castro of LAKAS-KAMPI, Senator Mar Roxas of the Liberals and Senator Loren Legarda of the NPC. Of course, we also know of the presidential aspirations of Senators Ping Lacson and Richard Gordon, and MMDA chair Bayani Fernando, among others.
Our source on the reported entry into the presidential derby of Senator Legarda as the NPC wildcard, is our brother, Romy Sales, who just planed in from Manila and who is a bonafide member of a political watchdog group known as Advocates for Good Governance. - Bohol Sunday Post Newspaper
How about these for starters?
Two leading national dailies, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Philippine Star, have just came out with the news that House Speaker Prospero Nograles' brother, identified as Jose Nograles, a senior vice president of Land Bank, is reportedly linked to a P5- billion loan from the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) to the Quedan and Rural Credit Guarantee Corp. (QUEDANCOR), some P1- billion of which was allegedly diverted to the controversial Swine Fund Program of the present administration.
It appears that as of this time even though the money was released during the last elections yet, people from the Commission on Audit (COA) are still asking and looking where the swine or pigs can be located, if ever.
The Commission on Audit (COA) is not only trying to find where the pigs are, considering that P114.6 -million has allegedly been paid for arranger's fees, legal and notarial fees just for the transaction, but also where the rest of the money went. The P114.6- million allegedly went to Nograles, the speaker's brother. COA is questioning why such a huge amount can be expended when Land Bank and Quedancor are government agencies, and they don't have to spend for such kind of expenses involving several millions of public money in commissions and legal services rendered. And yes, they are still trying to account for the pigs.
Meanwhile, the Land Bank had already paid the huge amount mentioned earlier even as Speaker Nograles maintains that the P114.6 million was not received by his brother. The paper trail on the anomalous transaction however points to Jose Nograles, a top executive of Land Bank, as one of those who made millions in the deal.
Senator Jamby Madrigal who exposed the swine fund mess, however, stood by her story against the Speaker's brother. Tsk, tsk, tsk.
Not even the courts are spared the shameless goings-on in government. The ongoing feud between GSIS and MERALCO appears to have endangered at least three (3) court of appeals (CA) justices.
For the first time in its history, all the divisions of the appellate court met en banc and behind closed doors to take up the most recent controversy involving its members. The most endangered appears to be CA Justice Jose Sabio, whose alleged friend businessman Francis de Borja, executed an affidavit implicating the justice in a deal that would involve P50-milion, plus a promotion to the Supreme Court, reportedly in exchange for a favorable decision for the GSIS group.
Lawyers are no angels, but this kind of scandal or is it a shakedown involving no less than the justices of the appellate courts if true, is certainly unacceptable to both lawyers and laymen.
And because of the swine fund scam, who can forget former Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn 'Jocjoc' Bolante, allegedly the brains behind the P728- million fertilizer fund scam.
The money after being reportedly released from Malacanang was in turn received by the Agriculture Department in care of 'Jocjoc' Bolante, by way of a Special Allotment Release Order or SARO. To justify the release of the money, 'Jocjoc' reportedly submitted a list of 110 congressmen, 53 governors and several mayors as proponents- recipients of the largesse.
The problem was that several of the congressmen and mayors involved were from Metro Manila, where there are no ricefields nor cornfields to be fertilized. Still another problem for 'Jocjoc', is that COA confirmed the finding of graft in the fertilizer deal. COA declared that the fertilizers were overpriced by some 800 to 1,200 percent. If COA is indeed correct, then we can say that this kind of deal can only be hatched in heaven or hell, depending on which side you stand. He, he, he.
By the way, even if the SWS surveys say some 10.6 million Filipino families consider themselves poor or roughly 59%, still we are hopeful that with the 2010 national elections less than two (2) years away, the chance for redemption is not really that far. The presidential candidates to a man look quite good and most of them are self- made men and women of wealth and substance.
There is Senate Pres. Manny Villar of the Nationalista Party, Vice Pres. Noli de Castro of LAKAS-KAMPI, Senator Mar Roxas of the Liberals and Senator Loren Legarda of the NPC. Of course, we also know of the presidential aspirations of Senators Ping Lacson and Richard Gordon, and MMDA chair Bayani Fernando, among others.
Our source on the reported entry into the presidential derby of Senator Legarda as the NPC wildcard, is our brother, Romy Sales, who just planed in from Manila and who is a bonafide member of a political watchdog group known as Advocates for Good Governance. - Bohol Sunday Post Newspaper
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