House urged to probe 'GMA corn program'

MANILA, Philippines - A party-list congressman is urging the House of Representatives to investigate the P18.25 billion "GMA for Corn Program" implemented during the time of former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano filed House Resolution 1417, urging the House committee on agriculture and food to summon former officials of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and explain how the fund was used during the program's eight-year implementation.

Mariano said that based on a Commission on Audit (COA) report, Arroyo ordered the release of the amount to fund the program from 2002 to 2009 pursuant to the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA) and in 2010 under the DA.

He said that the former president ordered the fund allocation for the corn program in lump sum. "Lump sum budget was also regarded as the source of irregularities and corruption," Mariano said.

Mariano said from 2002 to 2008, the budget on GMA for the corn program was lumped with the rice program, and from 2009 to 2010 separate budgets were allocated for the corn program.

"The 2007 Commission on Audit (COA) report disclosed that the DA's banner programs including GMA's for the Corn Program led to the loss or waste of government resources," Mariano said.

He added that the Regional Field Units (RFUs) of the DA also admitted that the program from 2007 to 2008 was a failure.

Mariano hinted that the fund may have been misused since the RFUs cited in their reports that farmers in various areas were given corn seeds with poor quality. The RFUs also reported that the master list of recipients of the program may have been falsified and tampered with, the lawmaker said.

"Likewise, the master list of farmer-beneficiaries in many areas was submitted after the allocation of seeds was determined. The seeds which were distributed to farmers were not fully preferred quality," Mariano said.

Mariano explained that about 1, 074 bags of corn seeds worth P1.124 million stored in storage areas were infected with weevils. He added that majority of the corn seeds that were purchased by the government during the time were stored in warehouses, instead of being distributed to the farmers. -- Angelo L. Gutierrez