Bolante was grilled for more than seven hours but the Senators miserably failed to shake him down into admitting any irregularity - Bolante was cool even when irate senators shouted at him and called him names.Senators did such a terrible job on the Jocjoc investigation prompting Victorina to make its own analysis on the matter.
Senate President Manuel Villar Jr., was not amazed that Bolante washed his hands off the scam. “His denial was not surprising. What would have been surprising was if he suddenly pointed fingers,” Villar said. Roxas and Lacson on the other hand said that they would show the “lies and inconsistencies” of Bolante in future hearings.
San Juan City Mayor Joseph Victor Ejercito also called Bolante “con artist” who has been “acting” since his arrival from the United States on October 28. Estrada added, “Joc-Joc behaved like a member of a criminal syndicate wherein he protected his master at all cost.”
Well guys, there goes our TAXES - To a bunch of media-hungry filibusters who cannot even argue appropriately.
RainB
PCIJ reported that roughly 3 billion pesos were released from the funds of the Department of Agricultural during the presidential campaign of 2004, including the lesser known Swine Scandal and the more popular Fertilizer Scam. This was a combination of tax payers money, the Marcos Funds worth 1 Billion Pesos (transferred from DAR to DA in April 2004) and some other sources. This does not included the Overseas Workers Welfare Fund used to finance the health cards for the poor.
We will pay attention to the scam du jour: the Fertilizer Scam or more specifically the funds meant to provide farm inputs to poor farmers as part of the plan to increase agricultural productivity. It seems the trail was something like this:
Well, we all know the rest from the reports of PCIJ and other media outlets. Farmers did not receive any input, there were too many irregularities. The foregone conclusion was that the amount was used to bolster GMA weak campaign against FPJ. The Senate blamed the Presidency; graft cases were filed at the Ombudsman.
Now, it seems Joc-joc’s testimony in the Senate inquiry reveals a simple game plan! Actual recipients, who honestly accepted the fertilizer and distributed it, are now validating and attesting that they received the fertilizer from JOCJOC BOLANTE in 2004. These testimonies will give credence to JOCJOC BOLANTE's claim that funds for fertilizer were actually distributed to various government officials. JOCJOC BOLANTE and other official in the administration, specially GMA, were never involved in the anomaly. They simply implemented the fertilizer support program for farmers. The scam and anomaly were committed by the government officials who were the conduits of the fertilizer funds!
Abs-Cbn forum opined that with this game plan, JOCJOC BOLANTE, CITO LORENZO and other DA officials, GMA, and leaders of LAKAS party, will be free from blame. Each recipient was accountable for the funds he or she received. Such a game plan cannot be crafted by a sick man bedridden in St. Lukes Hospital.
But who is the main man in this whole choreography, the one who remains silent. Where is Cito Lorenzo? Or who is Cito Lorenzo.
Before Cito became GMA’s favorite, he was Ateneo President Ben Nebres’ golden boy. Before that, he was CEO of Del Monte Philippines when the Lorenzo’s sold out their banana plantation and bought the controlling shares of this agricultural company.
This acquisition started with the macho pride of his brother Marco, who worked as a farm supervisor when Del Monte was still a subsidiary of RJR Nabisco. Because he was an Ateneo boy, he was out of place in the ranch and plantation. He earned the wrath and jealousy of a higher supervisor named Faez Saab, who was the golden boy of another Jesuit, the late Fr. William Masterson. Faez saw to it that Marco was pushed away from Del Monte. Finally Marco succumbed to the pressure and resigned. But he overheard Faez telling the other guys “I will have my dick circumcised again if that Marco returns here in Del Monte.” Bad move. The next year, the Lorenzo’s bought the whole company upon the insistence of Marco. Well, guess who was kicked out.
Luisito took over the CEO function while Marco managed the plantation. At that time, Ateneo wanted to firm up its athletic program because the Blue Eagle failed to bring home the UAAP crown for a long time. Ateneo needed a new center for its new sport program. Thus the Moro Lorenzo Sports Center was built, largely by the donation of Cito’s family with the help of some alumni. And the special friendship between Fr. Nebres, Cito Lorenzo and GMA grew stronger.
Ateneo de Manila produced only one president – a dropout Erap. It was time to groom a potential true-blue Atenista who can redeem them from the disgrace of EDSA 2. The Alumni found in Cito the potential: handsome, eloquent, competent, dedicated and hardworking, with a vision for the poor, at least at the start. His grooming started with a small cabinet office without portfolio yet very high profile: Presidential Adviser on Food Security & Job Creation. He was tasked to create ONE MILLION JOBS for the employment program of GMA. It was a program hatched in the Marcoeconomics Research Center of Ateneo, where GMA taught. Cito implemented the plan by mobilizing the business and agricultural sector and was able to produce the output.
His star was rising. Next, building up on his Del Monte experience, GMA asked him to take over Department of Agriculture. Cito constructed an ultra-modern agricultural project for the country, something that required intense capitalization from the government. In his mind, he wanted the Philippines to be independent from other countries in terms of food production. It was a good plan, but some people had other things in mind. Around this time, Fernando Poe Jr posed himself as the champion of the masses. GMA men needed money because she did not have FPJ’s charm. They needed a sacrificial lamb - our golden boy who dreamed to become the next president.
That was the end of his career.
We will pay attention to the scam du jour: the Fertilizer Scam or more specifically the funds meant to provide farm inputs to poor farmers as part of the plan to increase agricultural productivity. It seems the trail was something like this:
Well, we all know the rest from the reports of PCIJ and other media outlets. Farmers did not receive any input, there were too many irregularities. The foregone conclusion was that the amount was used to bolster GMA weak campaign against FPJ. The Senate blamed the Presidency; graft cases were filed at the Ombudsman.
Now, it seems Joc-joc’s testimony in the Senate inquiry reveals a simple game plan! Actual recipients, who honestly accepted the fertilizer and distributed it, are now validating and attesting that they received the fertilizer from JOCJOC BOLANTE in 2004. These testimonies will give credence to JOCJOC BOLANTE's claim that funds for fertilizer were actually distributed to various government officials. JOCJOC BOLANTE and other official in the administration, specially GMA, were never involved in the anomaly. They simply implemented the fertilizer support program for farmers. The scam and anomaly were committed by the government officials who were the conduits of the fertilizer funds!
Abs-Cbn forum opined that with this game plan, JOCJOC BOLANTE, CITO LORENZO and other DA officials, GMA, and leaders of LAKAS party, will be free from blame. Each recipient was accountable for the funds he or she received. Such a game plan cannot be crafted by a sick man bedridden in St. Lukes Hospital.
But who is the main man in this whole choreography, the one who remains silent. Where is Cito Lorenzo? Or who is Cito Lorenzo.
Before Cito became GMA’s favorite, he was Ateneo President Ben Nebres’ golden boy. Before that, he was CEO of Del Monte Philippines when the Lorenzo’s sold out their banana plantation and bought the controlling shares of this agricultural company.
This acquisition started with the macho pride of his brother Marco, who worked as a farm supervisor when Del Monte was still a subsidiary of RJR Nabisco. Because he was an Ateneo boy, he was out of place in the ranch and plantation. He earned the wrath and jealousy of a higher supervisor named Faez Saab, who was the golden boy of another Jesuit, the late Fr. William Masterson. Faez saw to it that Marco was pushed away from Del Monte. Finally Marco succumbed to the pressure and resigned. But he overheard Faez telling the other guys “I will have my dick circumcised again if that Marco returns here in Del Monte.” Bad move. The next year, the Lorenzo’s bought the whole company upon the insistence of Marco. Well, guess who was kicked out.
Luisito took over the CEO function while Marco managed the plantation. At that time, Ateneo wanted to firm up its athletic program because the Blue Eagle failed to bring home the UAAP crown for a long time. Ateneo needed a new center for its new sport program. Thus the Moro Lorenzo Sports Center was built, largely by the donation of Cito’s family with the help of some alumni. And the special friendship between Fr. Nebres, Cito Lorenzo and GMA grew stronger.
Ateneo de Manila produced only one president – a dropout Erap. It was time to groom a potential true-blue Atenista who can redeem them from the disgrace of EDSA 2. The Alumni found in Cito the potential: handsome, eloquent, competent, dedicated and hardworking, with a vision for the poor, at least at the start. His grooming started with a small cabinet office without portfolio yet very high profile: Presidential Adviser on Food Security & Job Creation. He was tasked to create ONE MILLION JOBS for the employment program of GMA. It was a program hatched in the Marcoeconomics Research Center of Ateneo, where GMA taught. Cito implemented the plan by mobilizing the business and agricultural sector and was able to produce the output.
His star was rising. Next, building up on his Del Monte experience, GMA asked him to take over Department of Agriculture. Cito constructed an ultra-modern agricultural project for the country, something that required intense capitalization from the government. In his mind, he wanted the Philippines to be independent from other countries in terms of food production. It was a good plan, but some people had other things in mind. Around this time, Fernando Poe Jr posed himself as the champion of the masses. GMA men needed money because she did not have FPJ’s charm. They needed a sacrificial lamb - our golden boy who dreamed to become the next president.
That was the end of his career.
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