Pork à la Gloria – ‘Kahindik-hindik’ Pork à la PNoy – ‘Unconscionable’

By Malou Mangahas, PCIJ

Aquino era findings PCIJ’s review of COA’s latest agency audit reports reveals that the same patterns of abuse and misuse of pork funds have lingered on under the Aquino government. These took place even in agencies headed by those considered as trusted allies of the President.

For instance, in the Department of Agriculture (DA) under Secretary Pro-ceso Alcala, a Liberal Party stalwart and close Aquino friend, COA found that the implementation of PDAF projects was “ineffective” because:

• In the National Livelihood and Development Corporation (NLDC), an agency attached to the DA that had been linked to the Napoles pork-barrel scam, “nine livelihood projects in the total amount of P235 million funded from the PDAF of seven legislators, which were implemented by four NGOs, were found to be unconscionable as names from published list of board examination pas-sers were used as supposedly beneficiaries of the projects.”
• “Checks, together with supporting disbursement vouchers (DVs) and documents totaling P301.505 million for CYs 2010 and 2011, were not submitted to the Audit Team, contrary to the provisions of Section 100 of Presidential Decree (PD) 1445, hence, preven-ted the Team from comple-ting the audit of all PDAF disbursements made during the period.”
• “NAFC (National Agriculture and Fisheries Council), a government council, was given fund transfers of ± 199,400,000 in CY 2012 through the endorsements of legislators, for the implementation of various livelihood projects the purposes of which are not within the mandate and functions of the Council.”
• “Provision of additional fund transfers to NABCOR (National Agri-business Corp.) of ± 5,000,000 in CY 2011 out of PDAF despite the absence of Progress or Status Reports on the implementation of various projects funded out of DA funds, and liquidation of previous fund transfers to the agency.”
• “Unclear approved guidelines on the monitoring, validation, and evaluation of the projects by DA representatives, which caused the delay or non-submission of the required reports to determine the progress of the projects.”
• “Non-compliance with pertinent laws and regulations in the awarding of contracts to NGOs/POs.”
• “Questionable utilization and implementation by the NGOs/POs for (sic) PDAF projects.”
• “Non-submission of assessment report by DA representatives for PDAF projects already completed.”
• “The total reported balance of the accounts Due from NGAs/GO CCs/LGUs, NGOs/POs charged to PDAF funds as of year-end amounting to ± 1,151,534,853.82 cannot be relied upon due to the (a) inclusion of long outstanding/dormant balances of ± 972,193,603.82 aged more than one year to over five years, the purposes of which were deemed to have already been completed/terminated considering their ages; and (b) recorded liquidations and write-off of accounts totaling ± 271,161,500 were not supported with documentation.” [To be concluded]