Press Release
October 24, 2008

ROXAS: DON'T LET JOC-JOC ESCAPE AGAIN
DOJ ASKED TO ISSUE HOLD DEPARTURE VS EX-AGRI EXEC

Liberal President Senator Mar Roxas today asked the Department of Justice to issue a hold departure order against former Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn "Joc-Joc" Bolante upon his return to the Philippines next week to prevent him from escaping prosecution for graft cases related to the P728-million fertilizer fund scam.

Roxas also urged the Senate to act on his resolution calling for the convening of a Committee of the Whole to reopen its investigation into the fertilizer fund scam and summon Bolante back to testify on the issue upon his deportation from the United States.

He asked DoJ Secretary Raul Gonzalez to order the Bureau of Immigration to put Bolante in its hold order list since the warrant of arrest issued by the Senate during the 13th Congress against the former agriculture official was said to have lapsed.

Bolante is expected to be deported back to the Philippines next Tuesday after failing to convince US authorities to give him asylum to escape the Senate's investigation into the fertilizer fund scam.

"Ang unang dapat gawin ng DOoJ ay siguruhing hindi makakatakas ulit si Joc-Joc Bolante. Masamang ehemplo na palusutin siya sa gitna ng malakas na ebidensya na siya nga ang nasa likod sa paglustay ng P728 milyon na pondo ng bayan (The first thing the DOJ should do is to stop Joc-Joc from escaping. It's a bad example to allow him to evade prosecution considering the strong evidence that he is behind the misuse of P728 million in public funds)," Roxas said.

The Senate has recommended to the Ombudsman the filing of graft cases against Bolante and a number of agriculture department officials proven to be behind the fertilizer fund scam during the 2004 presidential elections to aid the campaign of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Roxas lambasted Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez's persistent indifference to calls for her to file graft charges against Bolante.

"Hindi ko talaga maintindihan kung bakit ayaw aksyunan nitong si Ombudsman Gutierrez ang mga reklamong isinampa laban kay Joc-Joc. Pinagtatakpan din ba niya si Joc-Joc? May nag-utos ba sa kanya na upuan ang mga reklamo? Mahirap kasing paniwalaan na hanggang ngayon ay naghahanap pa rin sila ng ebidensiya laban kay Joc-Joc. (I really cannot understand why Gutierrez does not want to act on the complaints filed against Joc-Joc. Is she trying to whitewash the case? Did someone order her to sit on the case? It's hard to believe that until now they are still gathering evidence)," he said. - more - He noted that as early as March 2006, the Senate had forwarded to the Ombudsman its recommendations to file criminal cases against Bolante and other former ranking agriculture officials involved in the multimillion peso fund mess.

"Lahat naman ng ebidensiya naibigay na ng Senado sa Ombudsman, lahat ng nakuha naming ebidensiya noong inimbestigahan namin itong anomalyang ito pinadala na namin sa Ombudsman. Ano pa bang ebidensiya ang hinahanap ni Gutierrez? Kumpleto na naman ang finorward namin sa opisina niya para makapag-file na siya kaagad ng kaso laban kay Joc-Joc. (The Senate has submitted to the Ombudsman all the evidence we gathered during our investigation into the anomaly. What other evidence is Gutierrez looking for? We have forwarded to her all the evidence needed to file a case against Joc-Joc)," he stressed.

Roxas said he expects the Senate leadership to act soon on his resolution seeking the reopening of the investigation into the fertilizer fund scam.

Last month, Roxas wrote US Ambassador Kristie Kenney requesting assistance in the immediate deportation of Bolante straight to the Philippines upon finality of the decision denying Bolante's petition for asylum.

The senator has also written other US agencies, namely, the Department of Agriculture, the US Agency for International Development, the Department of Treasury, among others, seeking assistance in locating and recovering the P728-million fund, which is believed to be have been deposited in accounts outside the Philippines.

News Latest News Feed