No rice scam in Neg. Occ., says PAO chief
BACOLOD CITY -- Though not mentioned in the Commision on Audit (COA) Report, Provincial Agriculturist Igmedio Tabianan made it clear to the public that farmers' benefits in Negros Occidental from government's Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) program was distributed properly and is supported by documents that it was really received by the target beneficiaries..
Tabianan said, they had a series of meetings with the local government units (LGUs) represented by city and municipal mayors prior to the release of goods and the LGU, not the Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO), is the one identifying the farmer-beneficiaries.
"Signatures of the recipients were required and we counter-checked it as soon as the LGU submitted the master list," Tabianan added. They strictly required correct information from the recipients and when it is incomplete, what they did is to return the documents back to the LGU concerned.
The PAO through the LGU only distributes fertilizer coupons and certified seeds for farmers in the province.
Recently, the Commission on Audit (COA) uncovered the alleged irregularities, dubbed as "rice scam," where they found out fake signatures on the list of beneficiaries of last year's P218.7-million expenditure of DA for hybrid rice, certified seeds, farm inputs and fertilizers for farmers in four regions.
The COA's 2007 report on the DA said 139 of 593 recipients interviewed from Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog, Central Visayas and Eastern Visayas received little or no farm subsidies.
Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap issued a statement saying that local government units, not the DA, distribute the fertilizer and hybrid farms seeds subsidy, and that the municipal agricultural technician has the beneficiaries list.