Lorenzo: No role in fertilizer fund scam

Former agriculture secretary Luis “Cito” Lorenzo has denied involvement in the P728-million fertilizer fund scam.

Lorenzo relayed this to Senate Blue Ribbon committee chairman Richard Gordon who phoned him via long distance in the United States.

Lorenzo’s statement to Gordon technically leaves former undersecretary Jocelyn Bolante as the topmost official of the Department of Agriculture (DA) linked to the fertilizer scam.

The P728-million fertilizer fund was allegedly used to help bankroll the campaign of President Arroyo during the 2004 elections. The Arroyo camp has denied this.

Gordon talked to Lorenzo from the US last Thursday dawn, hours before another key player – Maritess Aytona – surrendered to the Senate after an alleged ambush attempt.

“Lorenzo told me that all the (accusations) are not true,” Gordon said, belying further the claims of Bolante in the last Senate hearing explaining his alleged meetings with other scam players – Aytona and Jimmy Paule – five years ago at the New World Hotel.

Also said to be present during the hearing was businessman Jess Varela. Agriculture Undersecretary Belinda Gonzales gave her damning testimony early this week, which provided the link between Bolante, Aytona and Paule.

Lorenzo claimed he does not recall having received any memorandum from Bolante about the alleged meeting where Paule informed him about an alleged P2-million bribe try from Lorenzo and Varela.

Revealing some details of his conversation with Lorenzo, Gordon said Lorenzo mentioned about talking with Bolante about “fixers” at the department and nothing more.

“He said it was not true. They discussed about the fixers. He asked why they had to let fixers work for the release of DA funds, that’s what he recalled as saying, if I recall it right,” Gordon said.

Quoting Lorenzo, Gordon said: “Bakit tayo aabot sa mga fixers pa sa pagpapalabas ng pera ng Agriculture?”

“I told him to consult his lawyer and prepare a deposition, and bring it to the Philippine Embassy,” said Gordon in a phone patch interview.

According to Gordon, Lorenzo asked for time before he makes a decision.

“I am calling you personally here because I told the media that I will call you. Unless I am asked, I will not reveal it to the media. Earlier I was asked if I talked to him, so I told (the caller) I talked to him (Lorenzo),” Gordon added.

When asked if he will summon Lorenzo to the Senate, Gordon said he would rather wait for his deposition first.

“He has not been thoroughly pointed out as the culprit here. I haven’t figured that out but I think he would be willing to make a deposition and come out if necessary,” Gordon added.

In previous hearings, it can be recalled that senators, particularly Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, were disappointed with Bolante’s testimony that he had no direct hand over the distribution of the fertilizer funds.

“You had unparalleled authority to dispose of P728 million. Even I as senator had no such authority,” Santiago said, as she dared Bolante to name even just one undersecretary with such an authority.

He failed to name one with an authority equal to his. He said that as a rule, all releases amounting to more than P5 million should be personally approved by the department secretary.

Bolante testified further that then agriculture secretary Lorenzo gave him this authority “because he was always out traveling.”

“Ah, then he should have been the Secretary of Tourism,” Santiago said.

At the fifth hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee on the fund scam early this week, Agriculture Undersecretary Gonzales said she was present at a meeting with Bolante in late 2002 where she met “fixer” Paule, who has remained evasive.

Another witness, Leonicia Marco Llanera, also testified that she knew Paule and Aytona, the purported runner of Bolante.

Llanera said she had helped Paule and Aytona by issuing checks to Feshan Philippines Inc., the biggest supplier in the P728-million fertilizer project.

Feshan supplied fertilizers amounting to P105 million to local government officials who benefited from the project.