Gordon vows 'closure' on fertilizer fund scam probe

Independent Senator Richard J. Gordon today vowed to wrap up the Senate probe into the anomalous P728-million fertilizer project as soon as necessary evidence on the alleged participation of key personalities linked into the issue is satisfactorily established.

Gordon said the Senate blue ribbon committee he chairs would find a final closure to its investigation once it gets to the bottom of the issue, which would happen when all testimonial and documentary evidence would have been gathered and submitted in the succeeding hearings.

"We have seen a lot in this investigation but there are more to be revealed. Sooner or later, important personalities involved in this scam would yield to the committee and spill out everything they know about it," he said.

"We will finish this investigation but we will not do so until we have revealed everything there is in this anomalous project," he added, consistent with his stand for a final closure on the fertilizer fund scam that has haunted the nation for long.

Gordon said meanwhile he is preparing a preliminary report on the committee's initial findings after conducting five hearings on the fertilizer fund mess and is ready to submit it for its members' signature before Senate resumes session on Jan. 19.

During the 13th Congress, the Senate committees on agriculture and blue ribbon conducted several hearings on the said scam and recommended the filing of charges against former agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn Bolante, inter alia.

Gordon said while the present blue ribbon panel under his leadership is picking up on the 13th Congress' "unfinished business", it was able to successfully obtain the testimony of Bolante who was then seeking asylum at the United States .

"After he had been deported from the US , now we have the testimony of Mr. Bolante. Whether the committee finds his testimony credible or otherwise, will be stated in our preliminary report," he said.

Gordon added his panel had also obtained testimonies of others who were implicated in the fertilizer mess, among them include alleged runner Marites Aytona, alleged financier Leonicia Llarena, Feshan Philippines president Julie Gregorio and Feshan vice-president Reden Antolin.

These personalities, Gordon noted, have only appeared before his committee after he had ordered arrest warrants against them, except for Llarena, for their continuous evasion of the panel's investigations.

Jaime Paule, an alleged runner of Bolante, was also forced to surrender himself before the committee last Dec. 23 and has promised to testify under oath in the next hearing scheduled on Jan. 20.

Gordon said the initial testimonies of the witnesses themselves had already established their link to one another and into the anomalous project.

"The blue ribbon committee's investigation will push through and would only conclude once we have clearly established the role and liability of all personalities involved in this project," he said.

"We will not leave any stone unturned and we will recommend and make sure that those responsible for this anomaly will receive their proper punishment," he added.

With many irregularities and people's liabilities revealed at the investigations, Gordon said concerned government agencies need not wait for the committee to end its probe before they could take action against those culpable in any illegal activities.

He noted that the Department of Justice must also take immediate action to the cases for disobedience to summons and false testimony filed by the committee against Bolante.

He added that the Bureau of Internal Revenue must also go after Feshan, the largest supplier in the fertilizer fund project, for a possible tax evasion case against its executives.

On the part of the Senate, Gordon said the committee on finance chaired by Sen. Edgardo Angara has come up with a joint resolution for the creation of a congressional oversight committee on budget that would keep an eye on the proper expenditure on projects and programs of various government departments, bureaus and agencies.