Angara presses early end to fertilizer fund scam probe

BY DENNIS GADIL

ADMINISTRATION Sen. Edgardo Angara yesterday pushed for an early conclusion of the new fertilizer fund probe by the Blue Ribbon committee, stressing it only needs one or two hearings to tie up loose ends.

The first hearing was last Thursday.

"I don’t really see the point of a prolonged hearing on this because he (Jocelyn "Joc Joc" Bolante) just keeps on saying in circles what he has already said," said Angara, chair of the Senate agriculture committee.

Bolante was tagged by a Senate committee in 2005 as the brains behind the diversion of P728 million to fund the campaign of President Arroyo in 2004.

At that time, he was agriculture secretary for finance.

Angara said the hearings should not drag on for a year just like the Senate probe on the NBN-ZTE contract. The Blue Ribbon panel chaired by Alan Peter Cayetano has yet to come out with a committee report on the probe.

Angara said he would not volunteer a comment if Bolante is a credible witness.

"I cannot gauge credibility, I was not there, napakahaba ng inquiry," he said. Bolante was grilled for almost 10 hours by senators.

Angara stressed the Senate should now allow the Ombudsman to handle the investigation as Bolante and other agriculture officials are already facing charges before the graft court.

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said the fertilizer fund probe is like "squeezing blood from a stone."

Gonzalez said he felt that critics would not be satisfied with the testimony of Bolante if they are determined to pin him down or even the First Couple.

Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz appealed to Bolante not to allow himself to be used as a scapegoat.

Also including in his appeal former PNP comptroller Eliseo de la Paz who is under probe of the 105,000 euro mess, Cruz said: "Just tell everything, tell the whole truth. Salvage whatever is left of your name and especially your family which is being dragged into this mess.

Last Thursday, Bolante virtually cleared President Arroyo of any involvement in the fertilizer fund mess. – With Jocelyn Montemayor and Gerard Naval