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Senate told: Probe GMA hybrid rice scam

Initial P 26 million unexplained disbursement
Senate told: Probe GMA hybrid rice scam

The left-leaning fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Monday asked the Senate Committee on Agriculture to conduct a separate inquiry on the controversial Hybrids Rice Commercialization Program (HCRP) after the group found out that the Department of Agriculture (DA) failed to explain over 26 million pesos in total fund disbursement.

“ Aside from the P 728 million fertilizer scam, here’s another DA scandal involving the Office of the President and its’ cohorts in the agriculture department that merits the attention of the tax paying public and the full-blown scrutiny of the Senate Committee on Agriculture,” the group said in a press statement.

The HRCP program is part of the GMA Hybrid Rice Program, which covers 600,000 hectares of rice lands to promote rice sufficiency program all over the country. A total of P 544 million taken from the P 38 billion recovered Marcos ill-gotten wealth were allocated to fund the ambitious hybrid program according to documents acquired by Pamalakaya.

Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap citing a recent report prepared by Rice Watch and Action Network, a non-government organization said discrepancies were found out in the provinces of Nueva Ecija, Isabela, Iloilo and Davao del Sur after matching the records of DA and its Provincial Agriculture Offices (PAO) in said areas.

“ We were not born yesterday not to understand this state-of-the-art and sophisticated approach of the corrupt regime in plundering people’s wealth and taxpayers’ money. The GMA hybrid rice scandal is as big and as gigantic as the P 728 million fertilizer fund scam,” Hicap said.

In Nueva Ecija, the DA reported that the HCRP was implemented in 14,180 hectares of rice lands in the province, but PAO said they only covered 9,014 hectares all over the provinces. He said the discrepancy of 4,566 hectares would cost P 5,479,200 based on the allocation of P 1,200 per hectare.

In Isabela province, the DA claimed the hybrid rice program was implemented in 52,953 hectares, but PAO records showed that it was only implemented in 36,100 hectares. The discrepancy of 16,853 hectares was worth P 20,223,600, which the DA national office failed to explain. In terms of beneficiaries, the DA listed 40,733 rice farmers in Isabela province, but PAO said its’ list only has 13,000 farmer beneficiaries.

In the case of Davao del Sur and Iloilo provinces, the DA said the program was implemented in 3,740 hectares and 2,386 hectares respectively, but PAO records revealed that the GMA hybrid rice program was implemented in 3,393 hectares and 1,430 hectares respectively.

Pamalakaya said the discovery of major discrepancies in Nueva Ecija, Isabela, Iloilo and Davao del Sur provinces should convince the Senate Committee on Agriculture chaired by Sen. Ramon Magsaysay Jr. to push through another investigation on the GMA Hybrid Rice Program, where P 544 million taken from the recovered Marcos Swiss accounts were used to fund the so-called rice sufficiency program.

“ There is a established pattern as far as corruption and plunder of state funds is concerned with regards to the GMA Hybrid Rice program. We hope Sen. Magsaysay’s committee will take and level this case with the controversial P 728 million fertilizer scam perpetrated by Ms Arroyo and company,” the group added. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 02:08 | link | comments |

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