Make my day!

by Peter G. Jimenea/ Hole of Justice

Few years ago, the Department of Agriculture, Regional Office 6, was lorded over by officials with temerity to pounce on government coffers for every chance they get. Thus, it gives us an impression that this office had been overrun by indomitable corruption.

Even auditors and resident ombudsman have stepped over the line of pardonable behavior. This mess happened as they, too, cannot resist the temptation of greed. Instead of reporting the discovered anomaly, they even helped corrupt officials to correct their records of office mess to obviate unwanted consequences.

A resident-ombudsman of the department had been charging also notarial fees for documentation of poor farmers transactions at the regional office. But the law says, being a government lawyer, his notarial services to clients should be rendered free.

A friend in this war against rampant corruption in the DA-6, Marlyn Esperat, died from the hands of assassins hired by top officials of the DA in Mindanao for her expose' of their wrongdoings in a newspaper of regional circulation.

My other friend Mr. Lino Sustento, died after his wish was granted by time. He had been praying that if somebody takes over as the next regional director, he wants him to be Larry Nacionales, the now Regional Executive Director of DA-6, for he salutes the dedication, hardwork and honesty of the man in public service.

Now here's a story that won't go away. When the DA-6 livestock dispersal program was implemented, officials distributed hogs, piglets and cattles to lowly farmers in the region. The first project were piglets, the price of which for high breed does not exceed P1,200 per head.

The department purchased 1,800 piglets from a hog farm (piggery) at the central part of Iloilo for its program. But due to the volume of government purchases, DA-6 acquired the entire stock from the supplier for only P900 per head.

But my God, the purchase voucher of those animals was tainted with grave abuse of discretion. The price of a piglet in the voucher is no longer P900 but P9,000 each. Instead of paying P162,000 for the 1,800 piglets, DA-6 spent P16,200,000. This is what got me so disgusted about!

I learned that a “zero” prostituted the voucher. It was added to P900 in the voucher, thus, making it appear P9,000. The discovered overprice was over P16M, enough for the crooks to enjoy their share of the loot.

When I report this anomaly to the DA Regional Director, he dished out the usual line that one is innocent unless proven guilty. What a glaring proof of camaraderie. It resonates well with my earlier suspicion that this is a syndicate I will be dealing with. But it also give me more reasons to miff them with a new name departamento de los ladrones – a department of thieves!

I brought this matter to the attention of NBI Region 6 which triggered the bureau to investigate. The director even assured me that their investigation will be over in just a month's time.

But I was badly disillusioned. Every time I visit the NBI director, an assistant would meet me to say he's out of office for an important transaction and also uncertain as to when he will return. This is where the bribery subplot came into the picture!

He resurfaced only when the issue died down. I should have confronted him on why it seems that protecting the crooks is the right thing to do. But perhaps, contrition is taking its toll on his guilty conscience that even before I utter a word he seems already badly beaten by his looks.

This is not what we think the NBI business is all about. The same is true with the DA director. They should know that to conceal is one thing, to be silent is another. Now our tragedy is we still have no guarantee that when they stepped down all crooks will go with him.

It is written though, qui peccat ebrius luat sobrius - he who offends when drunk shall be punished when sober. I hope to have made your day in this column, you ask for it, unlike me and Dirty Harry who ask others to make our day!