APPROVAL OF BILL ON 10 BILLION TREES
IS REAL AIM FOR SPECIAL SESSION -- PIMENTEL

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Nene Q. Pimentel, Jr. (PDP-Laban) today expressed reservation over President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyos call for a special session of Congress on Feb. 19-20 as he charged that it is intended to railroad the passage of a questionable bill that will provide administration politicians with a slush fund that they could use for their election campaign.

Pimentel said the final approval of the Anti-Terrorism Act by Congress is just a disguise for the real motive behind the holding of a special session -- the enactment of a law allocating funds for the planting of 10 billion trees bill being pushed by Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr.

He said it was the House speaker who convinced the President to convene a special session, pointing to the need to ratify the Anti-Terrorism Act as the main reason for it.

However, Pimentel said that since the Anti-Terrorism Act provides that it will take effect two months after the May, 2007 elections, the ratification of the bill can be made when Congress resumes session in June.

Speaker De Venecias call for a special session is out of place. Now, he wants money for 10 billion trees. If granted, even the birds and the trees will vote for administration bets in May. How sad that money-making now is the administrations name of the game, he said.

Pimentel said although the intention of the massive tree planting programs may be good, Congress cannot intelligently and exhaustively debate over the bill specially the funding aspect during only two days of special session.

Even assuming that it will cost P1 to plant a tree, Pimentel said that it will cost the government P10 billion to plant 10 billion trees.

And how will the funds for the tree planting be disbursed and distributed? Who are the people who will handle the funds? he asked.

The minority leader said there is no question that the planting of trees particularly in the cities and other urban areas is a must in order to preserve or restore ecological balance.

But my hunch is that the funds earmarked for this project will be siphoned to the election campaign activities of the administration, he said as he warned of an anomaly in the same magnitude as the P728 million fertilizer scam that marred the 2004 presidential elections.

They are pushing for approval of the 10 billion tree bill during the special session under the guise of finally approving the Anti-Terrorism Act, he said.