CABANATUAN CITY – At least five former local chief executives from Nueva Ecija have allegedly asked funds of P5 million each from the Department of Agriculture in 2006 through letters to then Sec. Arthur Yap supposedly coursed through the controversial firm of Janet Lim-Napoles
But local government units apparently have no records to show that the officials concerned really wrote such letters.
Former San Isidro Mayor Sonia Lorenzo, one of the five, said she needed to first see the alleged communication to have it confirmed or denied.
Lorenzo, a champion of the good governance advocacy group Kaya Natin!, said she had a lot of tangible projects through the DA during her stint as mayor of her town but never had an occasion to meet or deal with Napoles.
These projects include farm-to market roads in agrarian reform communities. “Some are supported by the ADB (Asian Development Banks),” she said in a phone call from Bicol where she was attending a workshop.
“I have to see the letter, if there’s one, so I can have it checked,” she said.
She said she has always observed transparency in governance since first election in 1998.
In Peñaranda, Mayor Ferdinand Abesamis said he still has to look into reports that his predecessor, former Mayor Felix Corpuz, also wrote a letter to the DA. He said there was no available records yet.
Lorenzo, Corpuz and three others, namely ex-mayors Antonio Esquivel (Jaen), Jimmy Domingo (Sto. Domingo) and Marvin Martin (San Leonardo) reportedly wrote separate letters to DA for projects, all in Nov. 2006.
Corpuz, Domingo and Martin did not run for any position in the last May 13 elections while Esquivel lost his bid to regain the top post of Jaen to re-electionist Mayor Santy Austria. Lorenzo lost her bid to represent Nueva Ecija’s fourth district in the House of Representatives.
