CABANATUAN CITY – Gov. Aurelio Umali vowed on Thursday to speak on the allegation that he was one of the supposed recipients of the allegedly graft-marred distribution of the P728-million fertilizer fund.
Umali who served as representative of Nueva Ecija’s third district for two terms before being elected as governor in the last local elections said he was just waiting for the documents from the Department of Agriculture (DA).
It was not the first time his name was dragged into the controversy. The issue was brought to the public during the 2007 gubernatorial campaign. His wife, Czarina, succeeded him to his post.
Last June, Vice Gov. Edward Thomas Joson filed criminal and administrative charges against Umali before the Office of the Ombudsman over the same issue.
Umali, Joson told the Ombudsman, violated Republic Act 9184 or the Procurement Act and RA 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
The fund was released after Umali’s office entered into a memorandum of agreement on December 1, 2005 with the Masaganang Ani Para sa Magsasaka Foundation (MAMFI) to procure and distribute fertilizers to alleged qualified farmer-beneficiaries of his district.
According to Joson MAMFI used the released fund of P12-million to purchase 7,290 liters/bottles of liquid fertilizers for allegedly selected beneficiaries in the municipalities of Gabaldon and General Natividad.
“The Department of Agriculture has all the documents,” Umali said.
His statement, he added, will come after such documents are handed to him.
