IN response to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) inquiry on the $5-million reimbursement check released to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the United Nations (UN) has denied releasing such a payment.
The inquiry was requested by the House of Representatives to the DFA, following the revelations made by former government auditor Heidi Mendoza, who testified that an AFP officer allegedly made a trip to the UN headquarters in New York City in January 2001 to personally pick up the $5-million check. The check was never recorded in the AFP books of accounts.
However, Mendoza did not identify the officer in question, nor the source.
On February 9, DFA Assistant Secretary Lesli Gatan made an appearance before the defense committee, stating that the act of an AFP officer picking up a check from the UN was not possible because between 1999-2002, the UN coursed its reimbursements through the Philippine mission in New York.
After the checks were received, they were deposited in a Land Bank account with JP Morgan Chase Bank, Gatan said. In 2003, checks were deposited in the military’s account with United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB), upon arrangements made by the AFP.
An earlier testimony given by Land Bank President Gilda Pico to the justice committee tallied with Gatan’s statement.
Pico has also denied Mendoza’s claim about intermediary accounts with the Land Bank branches in General Santos and Iloilo City, saying that no such accounts existed.
Why would Heidi Mendoza stake her life and her family’s safety if the check and the intermediary accounts were non-existent? But then again, why would the UN deny the occurrence of such a transaction if it did happen? Was it a case of misinformation from Mendoza’s source? A significant error in the books?
According to Galileo Galilei, “All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.” The truth may continue to elude us, but while the $5-million check remains a colossal mystery to be solved, what is important is that we never lose our momentum of courage – the will to exhaust all means possible, to dig deep until we unearth the whole truth.
And while we’re at it, devising and implementing a system that would ensure the security of the nation’s coffers and prevent future anomalous acts from occurring wouldn’t hurt.
Case in point: The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has initiated a safety net to prevent conversion of funds at the AFP – accounting for all AFP personnel via the acquisition of a complete list.
DBM Secretary Florencio Abad said that his agency intends to release the AFP’s budget directly to its service units – the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, among others.
“In AFP, funds will be given to the difference services, all the way down to the front line units. It would not be centrally managed,” he said.
He also added that the DBM will require AFP and other government agencies to post budget allocation and dispensation in their respective websites.
“Through this scheme, we will know how much must be set aside for the pension fund programs of the AFP and other agencies,” Abad added.
The DBM’s efforts may seem ambitious at this juncture, but hopefully, it will be an effective start.
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Midweek Feb 23-25, 2011 Sec A pg. 6)
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