Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales yesterday ordered the dismissal from the service of five officials of the Department of Agriculture (DA) after they were found liable of gross misconduct in connection with the alleged anomalous implementation of agricultural projects in the 4th District of Negros Occidental. The projects were funded with the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, who is currently detained on pork barrel charges.
Ordered dismissed were Regional Executive Director Larry Nacionales, Accountant III Candelaria Martinez, officer-in-charge Mira Talabong, Accounting Section chief Mae Nones, and Monitoring Staff Roger Salcedo, all of the DA Regional Field Unit in Region 4 (RFU VI).
The resolution narrated that sometime in 2007, a P20.5-million project was approved by Estrada for the “Diversified Farm Assistance for Negros Occidental Agri-Producers.”
Estrada requested Nacionales to implement the agricultural projects with JCB Foundation as NGO project implementor.
The agricultural project involved the acquisition of 28 units of hand tractors, 28 units of rice threshers, 56 units of power sprayers and 5,000 bottle of Nobac Urban Organic Enzyme and Microbial Decomposition Activator.
The project included the cost for freight, shipment, and delivery.
Based on the report of the Commission on Audit (COA), several audit observations were uncovered such as non-delivery of the farm inputs and farm implements, falsified certifications for the equipment and simulated bidding.
The report added that equipment and products were grossly overpriced by as much as 74 percent.
The actual recipients of liquid fertilizers could not be determined because the master list bearing the signatures of farmers did not indicate the quantity received by them.
The anti-graft czar stated that “there is gross inexcusable negligence when they merely signed the certifications and accomplishment reports as well as record the transactions in the books of DA RFU VI when they very well know they should have conducted periodic monitoring and evaluation on the project as well as verified and checked the documents submitted by JCB.”
Manila Bulletin
