Reaction Paper for Agriculture Fertilizer Scam

The scandal involving the channelling of P728 million from the Agriculture Department’s hybrid rice production program to President Arroyo’s 2004 campaign is not yet resolved but here comes another:

Phantom and short deliveries of fertilizers and seeds for which the department spent P218.7 million last year.

Nobody is charging yet that the funds were diverted to 2007’s campaign of Mrs. Arroyo’s senatorial candidates; but the Agriculture department has become notorious for the 2004 “fertilizer scam” hat suspicion immediately followed the publication of the state auditor’s findings. After the ‘fertilizer scam” the Agriculture Department should have learned to be more careful in handling public funds. But as some law makers have observed, last year’s misuse of funds. If indeed the funds were misused, appears to have been carried out through the same channels used during the 2004 elections.

Reaction:

Issues in our country have been repeating year after year, one undying issue is the famous “CORRUPTION”. For many years that we have changed our president, there is still no absolute remedy on how will our nation overcome this curse. We can picture out the levels of our society by a pyramid. When we divide it in three, we can see that the base is composed of many people who live below the poverty line and accept very little of the privileges they should acquire. Next is the middle class, these people live according to what is just received in return of their labor. And lastly on top is the high class. Majority is government officials and those who seemed to have great hold of power and has many assets in the country. But what is basically discussed here is how these people who sit on the government office dared to “rob” the citizens whom they should be serving.  “Robbing the framers AGAIN” this is not the first time that the ex-president Gloria Arroyo was involved in the issue of stealing the money of the Agriculture Department that was intended for the Hybrid Rice Production Program.

When the Commission on Audit computed the funds for the Agriculture Department they have seen discrepancies in it. For me in the first place the officials should have made a move when they knew about the fertilizer scam. They have already identified suspects and started to look at the case but how come no one is still punished? We, as the people want to see the apparent action of the government. They have the suspicions therefore they should take an action for it not to happen again. It should be imposed that “WHAT IS FOR THE PEOPLE SHOULD BE FOR THE PEOPLE AND REACH THE PEOPLE”.

One of the individuals that is said to be behind the “fertilizer scam” is Bolante. Bolante was tagged by the senate as the architect of the scam. He was actually fighting deportation to the Philippines. This man is trying to escape from the punishment that must be bestowed to him. Good thing that as he pleaded the US Court of Appeals and requested that he will be given asylum, he was rejected. So he will be coming home in chains and face senate and ombudsman’s investigations. For me and I think for most of us, it is fair to penalize the people who are responsible for evil acts to be punished accordingly. In the first place the money is intended for the farmers, if these money would not reach the fields of the farmers we will be deficient in product and our economy may impede. And so how can we elevate our developing economy if our leaders are not diligent in their work? We can put the situation like this, when the father bird found food for the chicks he leaves it to the mother to feed the babies. But instead of feeding the chick the mother ate all the food given. The government and department leaders are accountable for the welfare of the people since they have been given the trust and authority to keep the lives of the people worth living. I could say that these scammers are quiet foolish since they did not change their strategy. Maybe they have not anticipated that the state auditors will always be diligent as they have been in the fertilizer scam. What the auditors found is that large part of the large part for the program did not go to fertilizer and seeds. Can you imagine how bold these people are as they have robbed the farmers who are in poverty? It seems these people don’t have a heart! As the COA investigated, they found that many farmers in different parts of Luzon and Eastern Visayas claimed that they got little or even none of the seeds and fertilizers distributed. There are clear proofs of the wasted fund that is supposed to be for the people of the Philippines. But the thing is, no one is really punished for this act. Our justice must sharpen its teeth especially to the people who are really responsible of the act.

I believe that a factor for the rise of the economy of our country depends on how the government regulate and make the most out of the available resources. And to how the people cooperate to the governance of the officials. We must always compel honesty and to do this we must start it in our self.  To become better individuals we must be satisfied to what we have thus this will affect our family, then to the community and eventually to the nation.