Press Release
December 8, 2008

Senate blue ribbon panel resets hearing on P728-million
fertilizer fund scam

The Senate blue ribbon committee today deferred until Wednesday its hearing on the P728-million fertilizer fund scam to give way to the Senate deliberations on the administration's proposed P1.415-trillion national budget for 2009.

Independent Senator Richard J. Gordon, committee chair, explained that although the panel would want to proceed with the hearing, it cannot do so because of ongoing budget deliberations, which the Senate is fast tracking.

"We have postponed the hearing today but be assured that this committee is relentlessly pursuing its search for truth. We need to get to the bottom of all these things, find the culprits and let them pay for the crime they have done," he said.

Gordon said the committee expects the attendance of key witnesses at the next hearing scheduled on Wednesday as some of them already submitted letters declaring their intent to testify before the succeeding hearings.

Marites Aytona, an alleged "runner" of former agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn Bolante, has already submitted an affidavit explaining her absence during the hearings last Nov. 13, 25 and 28.

Meanwhile, Leonicia Llarena, owner of Dane Publishing House implicated by Jose Barredo as Aytona's financier, also sent a letter requesting for four more days from Dec. 8 to submit her sworn statement.

Gordon said that Llarena explained in her letter that she never intended to delay the committee's investigation but she had only acquired legal counsel recently and she needed more time to prepare herself for the hearing.

"My legal counsel will have to review the records of the investigation to be able to assist me in the submission of my sworn statement and prepare me prior to my appearance before your Committee," Llarena's letter read.

With Aytona's and Llarena's willingness to testify at the hearing, Gordon expressed optimism that the committee would now have a clearer picture of what happened, who were involved, and up to what extent was their participation in the implementation of the fertilizer program.

"We are determined to let these witnesses appear before this committee," he said.

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