PGMA's Statements during an Unscheduled Press Briefing

PGMA's Statements during an Unscheduled Press Briefing

Press Briefing Room, Kalayaan Bldg., Malacanang (21 July 2003)

Allocating the recovered Marcos wealth. I just came from a meeting on how the Marcos wealth will be allocated once the judgment will be finalized, as we expect it to be finalized. Its about 38 billion pesos. So, I've said that we will put in escrow eight billion pesos for the human rights victims, because we have to wait for the law that will allow us to allocate it to them. But well put it in escrow because we support that bill. And then for the balance of the 30 billion pesos, DAR has a budget of eight billion but, you know, given a deficit situation -- just because its allocated does'nt mean its funded -- so this will ascertain the funding of the eight billion. The balance of some 22 billion will now be allocated in accordance with obligations and other budget proposals of the DAR. But I've instructed Secretary Pagdanganan to ensure that in the agrarian reform communities, the template will include the following:

Schools, to cover the school building gap, which means that none of them should have a school building where there are more than 100 students.

Specific farm-to-market roads that have not been constructed either due to lack of funds -- and now that will be solved by this Marcos wealth-- or due to the insurgency situation. For instance, when I went to Samar, in one of the six NPA towns -- well, we call them NPA towns because some Barangays are NPA-influenced -- I'll give you an example, Llorente is an agrarian reform community, but the circumferential road is not completed, either because they don't have money, or a combination, or because one of the barangays, Tandang Sora, is NPA-influenced. So that should be completed.

So I'm saying about the farm-to-market road, school buildings, irrigation. And to provide the first premium for the farmer beneficiaries, land reform beneficiaries for the Philhealth. So these four items should be in the template for the Agrarian Reform communities and land reform beneficiaries. And to ensure the absorptive capacity, Obet Pagdanganan will enter into a memorandum of agreement with the implementing agencies: NIA, DEPED, DPWH and AFP for the insurgency areas.

I would like to congratulate the PCGG, because when we first recruited Haydee Yorac over two years ago, it was said that many of the documents had been already pilfered and that it was very difficult to pursue the case. But they've gone on and we've won major victories in court. In other words, the hard work of two years is beginning to pay off. Not only there but also in other things like in my first State of the Nation Address, remember, I said, that when you want to fight graft and corruption, although it cant be done overnight, we want to make the BIR and the customs as showcases in our fight against graft and corruption.

And today, the headlines showed us that four officials, three from the BIR, three top officials from the BIR, and a warehouse man of the BOC failed the lifestyle check. I talked to assistant Secretary Bonoan at 9 o'clock a.m. and he was on his way to the Ombudsman to file a case against these four. This investigation was done by the internal affairs office of the DOF, not by the BIR and the customs. So after Bonoan informed me that he was on his way to the ombudsman to file the criminal case against them, I called the BOC and the BIR to inform them officially. And they're also implementing the relief of these officials today.

This is also a great moment in our fight against graft and corruption. And therefore, we are confident that winning cases and fighting graft combined with hopefully, the revenue measures that the house and the senate will pass this congress term. I think the budget deficit monster is behind us now.

Because it will fund the CARP and other things. And because it will surely fund the carp, the money that we were allocating for the carp is now freed for other things as well.

Only the human rights victims need an amendment to the law. The application to carp is already provided for in the budget.

Because we are supporting the bill allocating that money to... Well, we don't know the amount so were just allocating... We don't know the amount that the law will provide for but were putting eight billion in escrow just to make sure.

Anti-graft and Corruption campaign. Well, it just shows that we are a strong republic with political will. Because a strong republic is characterized by strong institutions, and this is part of strengthening the institution of the BIR and the customs.

Id like to add, we shall crackdown on corruption in the same degree that we are cracking down on terror and drugs. We will punish officials at any level in accordance with due process. Corruption does not only bring disgrace to the public service but strikes at the root of our national security and stability. We cannot tolerate the corrupt enrichment of a few at the expense of the good name and prestige of the majority of civil servants who serve honestly and devotedly.

Thank you.

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