Senate summons ex-agri undersec

Representatives of Sen. Ramon Magsaysay and the Senate sergeant-at-arms served a subpoena yesterday on former agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn Bolante after being made to wait for over an hour while he attended a Rotary Club meeting in Pasay City.

Magsaysay wanted Bolante to shed light on allegations that P2.8 billion in government funds earmarked for a farmers’ fertilizer subsidy instead ended up in President Arroyo’s election campaign kitty for last year’s presidential race.

Security guards at Westin Philippine Plaza barred Wendy Santiago, a member of Magsaysay’s staff, and Nelson Dimayuga, of the Senate sergeant-at-arms, from entering the hotel where Bolante was presiding over a general assembly of the Manila Rotary Institute.

Santiago and Dimayuga waited for an hour and 15 minutes before they were able to serve the subpoena, which was received by Bolante’s lawyer Antonio Zulueta.

"Bolante was not around, but his lawyer received the subpoena. The lawyer did not want to talk and said they would review the subpoena before making a decision on (whether) he would attend the hearing or not," Santiago told reporters, who were likewise prevented from covering the meeting.

Lyn Abenilla, district governor-elect of the Rotary, told reporters they were not coddling Bolante.

Bolante left after delivering a speech, Abenilla said, but some Rotary members claimed the former agriculture secretary was still around when the subpoena came.

Bolante is a director of Rotary International and a convener of the assembly.

In a letter dated Oct. 21, Magsaysay ordered Bolante to appear before his committee on Wednesday next week to answer questions on the fertilizer fund.

Bolante did not attend the committee’s first hearing two weeks ago.

Santiago said Bolante faces arrest if he fails to show up again.

Zulueta said he and his client would to study the matter before deciding whether or not to attend.

"As you know, my client is already a private citizen. I believe he is not the proper resource person," he explained to reporters. "The people who can best answer the (inquiry) are the incumbent officials of the Department of Agriculture."

Senators got nowhere during the first hearing when Bolante and another former agriculture undersecretary, Ibarra Poliquit, refused to attend the inquiry.

Magsaysay said his committee had invited Bolante but he declined.

Government officials also invoked Executive Order 464, Mrs. Arroyo’s directive that bars government officials and military and police officers from attending congressional inquiries without prior Malacañang clearance.

"Unless Bolante and Poliquit and the company come forward, this investigation will never end," Magsaysay said.

Former budget secretary Emilia Boncodin was also summoned but begged off due to health reasons.

The Commission on Audit could not account for the missing fertilizer funds. It said many congressional districts that had received the money had no accounting.

The opposition suspects Malacañang diverted the money to fund Mrs. Arroyo’s presidential bid in last year’s race, in which the opposition alleges that she cheated her way to victory. — Christina Mendez