Bolante, Lorenzo charged with plunder over fertilizer scam
MANILA, Philippines -- Former Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn “Joc-Joc” Bolante, the alleged architect of the 10-year-old multi-million-peso fertilizer fund scam; and former Agriculture Secretary Chito Lorenzo were charged yesterday with plunder before the Sandiganbayan.
Also charged by the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) were three former members of the House of Representatives, two former governors, several officials of the Department of Agriculture (DA), and fertilizer suppliers.
Charged with graft and corruption in connection with the scam were former Representatives Nanette Daza of Quezon City, Federico Sandoval of Navotas, and Oscar Gozos of Batangas; and former Governors Carmencita Reyes of Marinduque and Leandro Verceles Jr. of Catanduanes.
Also charged with plunder were former Agriculture Assistant Secretary Ibarra Poliquit, private fertilizer suppliers Jaime Eonzon Paule, Marilyn Araos, Joselito Flordeliza, Marites Aytona, Jose Barredo and Leoncia Marco-Llarena.
Charged with one count of malversation were former DA Regional Directors Gumersindo Lasam, Cesar Rodriguez, Dennis Araullo, Ricardo Oblena, Leo Caneda, Oscar Parawan, Roger Chio, Sumail Sekak, and Eduardo Lecciones. They were included in the complaint for allegedly following Bolante's anomalous order and having preferred fertilizer suppliers.
Bolante allegedly came out with a prepared list of proponents, but the farming zones where the funds should be allocated were not followed.
Except for Araullo, the ex-directors were also charged with one count each of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
Nineteen other field officers of the DA and three other private individuals were also charged with graft and corruption.
On the other hand, complaints against DA Assistant Secretary Belinda Gonzalez, Cash and Disbursement chief Emma Gonzales, Catanduanes provincial accountant Sonia Villaluna, and private respondents Deonilla Gregorio, Redentor Antolin, Linus Villanueva, Phydias Banez, Fernando Gallarte, and Frederico Quevedo were dismissed for insufficiency of evidence.
Lorenzo was cited for allegedly giving Bolante a free hand in disbursing the P728 million in agriculture funds used to buy overpriced liquid fertilizer.
The anomaly is one of the issues raised by the House of Representatives in bringing impeachment case against Ombudsman Merceditas N. Gutierrez before the Senate.
Her detractors accused Gutierrez of deliberately delaying the resolution of the case because the recipients of the funds were allies of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
OMB Spokesman Assistant Ombudsman Jose de Jesus, however, denied the allegations.
He explained that two months before Gutierrez assumed the top OMB post in February, 2006, she created Task Force Abono to look into the anomaly which was filed two years earlier and remained untouched by her predecessor.
De Jesus admitted difficulties in investigating the case because it involved 17 regions and 178 project proponents, mostly governors, congressmen, and mayors.
