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Something fishy going on
GMA to hand out fingerlings for 2007 campaign

The fisherfolk activist group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Monday said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will allocate P 887 million for her fisheries program under the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) program in 2007, as part of the P 4.21 B seed fund for agriculture and fisheries projects, representing 22 percent of the proposed DA budget in 2007.

Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap said President Arroyo will hand out 170 million tilapia and 150 million milkfish fingerlings and broodstock next year. Part of the package will include the establishment of 137 seaweed nurseries, 39 central and satellite hatcheries nationwide.

“We will contest this unthinkable and mind-boggling allocations of taxpayers money. It seems to us that this part of the preparations for the 2007 polls. The allocations are equally divided for this old boys club, for the boys fund campaign of Mrs. Arroyo,” Hicap added.

The 887 million from the P 4.2 B seed fund next year is 21 percent of the total allocation for GMA program. The other banner programs and their allocations: rice program (P 1.788 B or 42.4%), corn ( P 658 M or 15.6%), high variety seeds ( P 459 M or 10.7%), livestock ( P 430 M or P 10.2%)

The fisheries program under the GMA project in 2007 will also lead the construction and rehabilitation of 8 regional and 7 municipal fish ports, 2 ice plants and cold storages and establishment of new mariculture parks in addition to 28 existing sites across the country.

“Something fishy is going on. It seems to us that the government is up for a fingerling scam in next year’s poll to able to support the candidacy of Mrs. Arroyo’s most favored bets in the May 2007 national elections from senatorial down to municipal mayors,” Hicap said.

Pamalakaya said the release of P 887 million will be timed at least one to two-months ahead of the campaign period, which will start on February 13, 2007 up to May 14, 2007. “ The amount for GMA fisheries program is more than the P 728 million fertilizer scam engineered by the ruling syndicate in Malacañang. Another scam which is bigger the fertilizer scam is in the offing,” the group predicted.

The militant group said aside from fingerlings, the government next year planned to handout 26, 700 bags of hybrid corn, 407,000 bags of hybrid rice and 225,000 bags of certified rice seeds, 32, 500 kilograms of assorted seeds and 4.78 million pieces of planting materials.

“Mrs. Arroyo is planning to keep the political loyalty of opportunist politicians allied with her two parties in Congress in order to control Congress and local government units across the country by showering them with billions of pesos for kick backs and fat commissions that would come from the disbursement of the P 4.21 B next year,” Pamalakaya said.

The militant group said it is supporting the proposal of militant lawmaker Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano for President Arroyo and Malacañang to keep their hands off on the P 4.21 B GMA fund. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 07:20 | link | comments |

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