P200M pork barrel, fake NGO disappear
MANILA - Almost P200 million in pork barrel funds of 3 senators and a party-list lawmaker have gone missing, along with a fake non-government organization (NGO) that received the money.
The Commission on Audit (COA), in its latest audit of ZNAC Rubber Estate Corp. (ZREC) released Tuesday, revealed that officials of the government-owned and -controlled corporation (GOCC)have yet to account for the priority development assistance funds (PDAF) from the 4 officials that went to Pangkabuhayan Foundation Incorporated (PFI) in 2009-2010.
The 2012 audit of ZREC showed that the corporation has not acted on 24 various recommendations made by the COA to show where the money went.
COA's findings in 2011 implicated Senators Jinggoy Estrada, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Senator Bong Revilla, and Buhay party-list Rep. Rene Velarde in the alleged fund misuse.
Its latest audit, however, only said that ZREC told the lawmakers about the irregularity and for the the fake NGO to be blacklisted from receiving government funds again.
The COA said PFI received a total of P199.683 million from the 4 lawmakers' pork barrel even if the NGO failed to qualify for the final assistance.
The COA said its Special Audits Office will issue a separate report on the missing government funds.
Among the COA's recommendations that ZREC has yet to comply with, three years after the funds were released, include the state-owned corporation's failure to thoroughly vet the NGO.
ZREC has not also implemented COA's earlier recommendations of demanding PFI to submit corrected audited financial statements; quarterly income tax returns; disclosure of its officials, workers, and office address; proof of equity; work and financial plan; as well as complete project proposals.
COA told ZREC again to ask PFI to justify the purchase of water pumps, hand tractors, composting facilities, planting materials and vegetable seeds allegedly bought from suppliers which were very far from the location of its projects.
COA listed other recommendations that ZREC has not implemented so far with regard to the funds given to PFI.
These include requiring PFI to refund P161.914 million to the government due to fabricated documents and forged signatures it had submitted for the liquidation of funds received from ZREC.
ZREC has not also filed a case against the bogus NGO.
"Documents submitted by PFI relative to the procurement of grafted planting materials, hand tractors, hydro tiller, water pumps, vegetable seeds, composting facility and manufacturing of organic fertilizer procured by PFI in the total amount of P161.914 million out of the P194.97 million funds received from ZREC as released to the latter by the DA out of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of four lawmakers did not match with the accountable forms (official receipts, sales invoices and delivery receipts) of the suppliers and non-existence of two suppliers as a result of the validation made by the Audit Team (CY 2009), thus no legitimate procurement transaction existed between PFI and the suppliers," COA stressed.
Jinggoy claims innocence
Estrada earlier said he should not be blamed for the release of pork barrel funds to PFI.
He said that he nominated the NGO after the Department of Agriculture (DA) assured him that it was legitimate.
Estrada also denied receiving kickbacks from the bogus projects of PFI, saying that everything he did was done in "good faith" to provide livelihood programs to farmers.
"I have never received any kickbacks or whatsoever. I completely deny that. At hindi po mangyayari 'yun."
COA Chairperson Grace Pulido Tan earlier said of the total PDAF released to PFI in 2009, about P100 million came from the office of Estrada.
She said P77 million came from the office of Enrile, P10 million from Revilla and P4 million from Velarde.
The opposition United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) also claimed that politics was behind the COA's earlier revelations on ZREC and PFI early this year.
UNA spokesman Rep. Tobias Tiangco claimed the COA reports were being used by Palace-backed "political operators" to go after the opposition.
"Without fail, COA reports are released to media during the election season for obvious political purposes. Without fail, complaints are filed before the Ombudsman against political personalities and candidates based on COA reports," Tiangco said in a press statement last February.
He also accused the Aquino administration of engaging in "trash politics".
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/focus/05/29/13/p200m-pork-barrel-fake-ngo-disappear>>>>>MAGIC!!! 
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