Probe on Antique solon's P10M PDAF underway
The Provincial Board of Antique will start its inquiry into the P10 million Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of Congressman Exequiel B. Javier which the latter released to the Municipality of Patnongon through the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Unit VI allegedly for hunger mitigation program.
In a resolution passed and approved by the Provincial Board of Antique, the body created a Tripartite Committee chaired by Board Member Alfonso V. Combong, Jr., a retired RTC Judge and Chairman Committee on Laws of the Provincial Board, to conduct an inquiry on the 10M PDAF of Congressman Javier which was allocated to the Municipality of Patnongon through the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Unit VI and allegedly used to purchase a 40 ton rice mill to respond to priority program in agriculture for Patnongon but was instead installed in another Municipality in Hamtic.
Further investigation revealed that the cost of the rice mill was P9.9 million supplied by ALHEED International Trading Corporation which appears to be the only supplier that captured the P10 million manna from Congressman Javier. What was suspicious was the manner in which the purchase of the 40-ton rice machineries was consummated and awarded to an international trading corporation without any known or specific address where its office or factory is located.
In a document evidencing the transaction of the aforesaid purchase, it was shown that the project was for the procurement of one set of modern Rice Mill equipment including installation with the capacity of 40 tons per day on input from paddy to polish rice.
At a cost of P9.9 million, the project started on November 20, 2007 and completed in record time on December 10, 2007 or barely 20 days thereafter.
In the certificate of completion as certified by the municipal officials of Patnongon, the final payment was released to the contractor of ALHEED International Trading Corporation also on record time on December 13, 2007 or only three days from completion of the project. But what is strange is the fact that the 40-ton rice mill was installed in Hamtic, Antique and not in Patnongon, the intended beneficiary of the hunger mitigation program of Congressman Javier's PDAF.
Since the completion of the project on December 13, 2007 when the amount of P9,9 million was finally paid to ALHEED International Trading Corporation, the 40-ton rice mill has yet to mill a single grain of palay from Patnongon or Hamtic. No one in Hamtic or Patnongon knew whether the rice mill is functional or is in good running condition since the rice mill was not even tested to mill a single grain of palay. The P9.9 million rice mill is now rotting in a rented bodega owned by the NFA.
The Tripartite Committee chaired by Board Member Combong, Jr. is composed of Board Members Dante Beriong, Vice-Chair, Benjamin Juanitas, Fernando Corvera, Rosie Dimamay and J Tobias Javier as members. The inquiry is scheduled on November 10, 2008 at 10 in the morning at the session hall of the Sanggunian Panlalawigan of Antique and is open to the public.