Columns Senator Pimentel Senator Pimentel Favors Special Session to Tackle the CARP and Fertilizer-Scam Scandals
| Senator Pimentel Favors Special Session to Tackle the CARP and Fertilizer-Scam Scandals |
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr. (PDP-Laban) today said he is
in favor of a proposal to call Congress to a special session after the June 13
sine-die adjournment.
Mr.
Pimentel said this will give the Arroyo administration and the Department of
Agrarian Reform (DAR) additional time to explain how billions of pesos in
public funds were spent on the comprehensive agrarian reform – a condition
imposed by the Senate minority bloc for supporting a bill extending the
implementation of the program after it expires on June 10.
He said the extra session days may perhaps also enable the Senate to inquire
anew into the fertilizer-fund scam in view of the impending deportation of its
suspected principal perpetrator – former Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn
“Joc Joc” Bolante – from the United States.
“We welcome a long special session so we have time to dissect corruption of DAR
officials and also to investigate – Bolante’s alleged connection with President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo regarding the fertilizer money worth over P1 billion,”
he said.
The fertilizer fund was allegedly diverted to Mrs. Arroyo’s election campaign
in the 2004 presidential election.
Editor’s Note: To read Senator Pimentel’s earlier article on the CARP, please
click on this link DAR Has to Account for
Billions in Funds Spent on CARP in 20 YearsSenator Pimentel said he is still awaiting the full disclosure and accounting
by the DAR, under Secretary Nasser Pangandaman, on how it utilized the P50-billion
funding for the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), over the last 10
years of its implementation (from 1998 to 2008).
The funds disbursed for CARP include the P30-billion share of the Marcos bank deposits
recovered from Switzerland.
He also asked the DAR to explain a report that a huge amount of CARP money was
siphoned off to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao – a disbursement which
is highly questionable because the ARMM is supposedly not under the CARP
coverage.
“If they cannot account for these funds, I am very sorry, you lose one more
vote in this bill. And that’s me. I will not support the extension of the
CARP.” # # #
http://www.nenepimentel.org
Statement of Senator Nene Pimentel on the need to account for CARP funds
To make things easier for Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman, I demand that he makes an accounting of the funds spent for the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) covering only his term. The accounting of the funds will determine his fitness to implement the CARP once it is extended.
Secretary Pangandaman has until 3 p.m. today to furnish the Senate the true accounting of the use of the CARP under his administration to show that the program deserves an extension under him. If not, he should resign now to save CARP.
10/27/2008 | 09:15 AM
MANILA, Philippines - The Senate is eyeing an "arrangement" with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on the custody of former Agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn "Joc-Joc" Bolante once he is deported back to the country from the United States.
In a radio interview, Senate sergeant-at-arms retired Maj. Gen. Jose Balajadia Jr on Monday said he will work out an arrangement where Bolante would be made to stay at the Senate while he is debriefed by the NBI.
"I'm sure mapapag-usapan namin yan. Lahat naman Kami government agency, pwedeng pag-usapan iyan (I'm sure we can discuss such an arrangement. We're both government agencies, I'm sure we can work it out)," Balajadia said in an interview on dzXL radio.
Balajadia said he is just waiting for a verbal order from the Senate President's office to arrest Bolante upon his arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
Last week, law professor Harry Roque Jr said Bolante is due to arrive at the NAIA aboard a Northwest Airlines flight, possibly at 11 p.m. Tuesday.
However, Roque said in a separate interview early Monday that Bolante was still detained in Wisconsin as of dawn Monday. He said he will check on Bolante's whereabouts again Monday night.
On the other hand, Balajadia said the NBI has orders from justice secretary Raul Gonzalez to intercept Bolante and bring him to the NBI in Manila for "debriefing."
"We are the same government agency and we're arresting him. So pwede kami mag-usap, pwede namin pagusapan sa airport (We can talk about it at the airport)," Balajadia said.
He also said Bolante will not be treated like a criminal as he is considered a resource person.
"Hindi naman criminal yan, meron kaming kwarto pwede siya detain until such time the Senate says you can go now (He's not a criminal so we will detain him in a room in the Senate until such time the Senate tells him he can go)," Balajadia said. - GMANews.TV
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