Pork beneficiaries' names randomly taken from exam passers lists

MANILA, Philippines - Some of the beneficiaries named by dubious non-government organizations that received lawmakers' Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) or pork barrel were only taken from lists of board and bar exam passers, the Commission on Audit said in a special report released Friday.

COA revealed that the 2,615 names of those who passed the accountancy and nursing board as well as the bar exams in 2007 and 2008 were listed at by least one NGO called ITO NA Movement Foundation, Inc. (ITONAMI) as its so-called beneficiaries.

Taken from the Commission on Audit's Special Audit Report on the Priority Development Assistance Fund and Various Infrastructures including Local Projects released Friday.

"There were even cases when exactly the same list of beneficiaries were submitted by the same NGO to two different (implementing government) agencies and/or list of beneficiaries taken from the published list of board passers in various professors," COA noted.

ITONAMI, for one, received a total of P124 million for its so-called projects agricultural projects including procurement of animals and tractors, COA said.

"The items procured were reportedly distributed to 858 individual recipients. None of the selected recipients, so far, confirmed receipt, while 14 denied receipt of items allegedly distributed," COA said.

The suspicious organization, moreover, cannot be located at its given office address at Cityland Mega Plaza in Ortigas Center, Pasig City.

"The unit was closed at the time of inspection on January 21, 2011. As certified by the Building Administration Officer, ITONAMI was never a tenant of Cityland Mega Plaza," COA said in the report.

The duplicated names of exam passers submitted to different government agencies is among the reasons why the implementation of 772 projects by 82 NGOs funded by pork has been questioned by state auditors in the report.

ITONAMI, in particular, was only registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission but it was operating without a permit from Pasig government from 2007 to 2009.

COA also said the suppliers it listed are non-existent or at least without a business permit.

Former lawmakers Samar Rep. Sharee Ann Tan, Aangat Tayo party-list Rep. Daryl Grace Abayon, Quezon Rep. Wilfrido Enverga and Benguet Rep. Samuel Dangwa as well as current solons Kalinga Rep. Manuel Agyao, Davao del Sur Rep. Marc Douglas Cagas IV, Northern Samar Rep. Emil Ong, contributed to the dubious ITONAMI, COA said.