Dick Gordon allotted P52-M ‘pork’ to PH Red Cross in 2007. COA wants to know where’s the P21M

By Nancy Carvajal

Senator Dick Gordon funneled P52 million of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) budget to the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) in 2007 when he was already its president, Politiko has learned.

READ: Pork-loving Dick: Duterte claims Gordon ‘parked’ his P88M PDAF with pork barrel queen Napoles, mixed it with Red Cross funds, now it’s lost forever’

A Commission on Audit (COA) report obtained by Politiko showed the fund was released to PRC under Special Allotment Release (SARO) number ROCS-07- 09715. As of 2016, however, P21 million of that allotment was still unliquidated.

COA wrote PRC in June 2012 regarding the liquidation of Gordon’s pork barrel allocation, which was supposedly intended for scholarship grants, social, medical or welfare and funeral assistance, emergency rescue operation and the distribution of 17 motor vehicles to various local governments.

“On August 6, 2012 the PNRC team informed the COA that they are already preparing all the required liquidation documents with all supporting documents including the list of beneficiaries for submission to this office. As of audit date, however, the requested liquidation reports remained unsubmitted,” the COA report read.

The PDAF is a discretionary fund of lawmakers that was used for various projects in their districts. It was declared by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional in 2013 over the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam supposedly masterminded by Janet Lim Napoles in connivance with several legislators.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday (Sept. 20) accused Gordon of misusing government funds, saying the senator “co-mingled it” his PDAF funds with PRC money.

“Nais ko malaman, tumanggap ka ba ng ₱88 million? Sa PDAF mo, kung totoo lang,” Duterte said, addressing Gordon. “Pinarking mo ang PDAF mo, so you co-mingled it with the money of Red Cross.”

Duterte has been repeatedly pressing COA to audit the government funds which went to PRC.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra has said that all accounts pertaining to the expenditure or use of funds by any non-governmental entity that receives subsidy or equity directly, or indirectly from or through government.

COA can audit PRC because it receives funds from the government through the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, Guevarra said.

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Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)