Press Release
December 24, 2008

Gordon reconfirms syndicate-like operations in DA

Independent Senator Richard J. Gordon today reconfirmed the prevalence of a syndicate-like operations of widespread corruption working with and through the bureaucracy of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Gordon made the reconfirmation as the Senate blue ribbon committee he chairs has thus far found and secured the important testimonies of the missing key players implicated in the P728-million fertilizer fund scam it is investigating.

"Everybody who has dealt with any government agency knows that it takes a long time and lots of paperwork to get money from the government coffers. In this case, it was like getting money from an ATM (Automated Teller Machine). Pindot-pindot lang, labas na ang pera parang automated corruption," he said.

"Add to this, we have at least two cases of murder that of (Marlene) Esperat and (Teofilo) Mojica. Both were allegedly linked to the uncovering of a scam. This indicates that money meant for our farmers are regularly and easily spirited away that's why nahuli sila, they got brazen, sloppy, and got caught with their hands in the cookie jar," he added.

Gordon noted that a mafia- or syndicate-like operation is still prevalent in the DA, as earlier confirmed by the Joint Committee Report 54, then issued by former Sen. Ramon Magsaysay and Sen. Joker Arroyo, chairman of the agriculture and blue ribbon committee, respectively.

"If there are people who can make money come out of DA like an ATM, the same people can put a vise grip on government money. Now, that's the kind of power over government money that will have even Presidents kneeling at your feet," he said.

The senator said that instead of going after just one person, the Senate blue ribbon committee is going after an entire mob.

"We're going to throw a huge wrench at their system. In terms of legislation, our investigations will produce laws that will plug up loop holes and in effect, change the way the entire system works. Just as in Automated Elections, we will change the entire game and make it very difficult to steal from government," said Gordon.

The Senator had pushed for Automated Elections in response to massive cheating in the 2004 elections. He worked relentlessly on RA 9369 or the Amended Automated Elections Law and pushed the Comelec to implement the law as Chairman of the Oversight Committee on Automated Elections.

"We will see the end of wholesale cheating in our elections by 2010 because we changed the game. We hope to do the same in the Department of Agriculture," said Gordon.

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