On September 29, 2014, Rodante Marcoleta, then a party-list congressman representing Alagad, wrote a finger-pointing letter that was published in the Letters to the Editor section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
“This is in reply to the news item titled “COA: P200-M pork projects questionable” (Front Page, 9/15/14). As one of the lawmakers mentioned in the article, I think it was most unfair to parrot the COA (Commission on Audit) report without getting our side before it saw print.”
“The allegation that I used dubious organizations and implemented my PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) project without bidding is false . . . based on COA Circular No. 2007-001, only the LGUs, nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and people’s organizations (POs) are the entities required to strictly comply with the availment, release and use of funds . . . the ineluctable conclusion is that the LGU officials are the ones solely and personally responsible – and therefore liable for any irregular project implementation.”
“ . . . the reporter unnecessarily tied my religious affiliation to attract attention. (Surprisingly, the others – one is identified with the Jesus Is Lord, one with the 4th Watch, one is a Muslim and most are Catholics – were not so labeled).”
Marcoleta was referencing his Alagad partylist that was closely identified with the Iglesia ni Cristo. Its founder Diogenes Osabel was an INC member. In 2021, the Commission on Elections cancelled the registration of Alagad for failing to participate in the last two elections. In the 2016 elections, Marcoleta changed his party list to SAGIP, another INC affiliated group.
What was his brouhaha all about? It was related to the Janet Lim Napoles issue of legislators pocketing their pork barrel funds. In September 2014, the COA had announced that about P200 million in pork barrel funds of a senator, seven partylist representatives, and other congressmen were coursed through the National Agriculture and Fisheries Council (NAFC) from 2012 to 2013 and were later awarded to suspicious NGOs.
Who were these congressmen and one senator? Among them were senator Juan Ponce Enrile (P45 million), Sherwin Tugna of CIBAC, a brother in-law of Joel Villanueva (P2 million), Rodante Marcoleta of Alagad (P15 million) and several others. On the basis of their written requests to the Secretary of Agriculture, the money was then transferred to the NAFC. Take note – they signed these individual letters (some of them have said their signatures were forged).
Then the allocations were channeled to several NGOs to implement “livelihood” projects. No biddings took place. Marcoleta’s “projects” were vermicomposting and vegetable gardening. COA said he reported his projects as having been implemented in some barangays of Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Cavite and Rizal.
COA asked the NAFC to return the money. That never happened. How could they be returned when the money had already found its way to legislators’ pockets for their “livelihood”?
In 2016, COA bared another list after investigating pork barrel funds allocated from 2007 to 2009 using the same modus operandi of channeling to fake NGOs. Among the legislators involved were Sen. Joel Villanueva and Rodante Marcoleta who by 2016 was representing SAGIP party list.
It was strike two for Marcoleta. The coincidence was too much.
The audit report noted that Villanueva allocated his pork barrel funds when he was CIBAC partylist representative in the House.
In August 2015, the Ombudsman ordered preliminary investigation and administrative proceedings against Villanueva. His “projects” were on distribution of seedlings, liquid fertilizer and threshers. Villanueva also wrote a letter to the agriculture secretary requesting the department to course the money to the National Agribusiness Corporation (Nabcor).
The Ombudsman’s Field Investigation Office found that Villanueva’s projects did not have a project name, intended beneficiaries, benefits, project description, site location, and time schedules for project monitoring. This is the same Villanueva from the dynastic family that is into born-again evangelizing work and has controlled local politics in Bocaue, Bulacan since 2001, all in the name of “Jesus is Lord.”
Charges were also filed against Villanueva by the Department of Justice over the pork barrel scam associated with Janet Lim Napoles. The National Bureau of Investigation charged Villanueva with graft, malversation and direct bribery.
It was strike two for Villanueva. The coincidence was too much.
Why are we unearthing the past of our senator-judges?
It is because if these are the kind of judges we have with anomalous associations, then they can be bought as impeachment judges. The Dutertes are said to be awash in cash. Conversely, the Marcos Jr. government can influence their votes as past presidents have done with impeachment cases.
It is because we must lament the qualities of our senator-judges today. If those in the past were not necessarily puritans, the present crop is a hodgepodge of pretenders when in fact they are imbeciles, ignoramuses and specialists in political thuggery.
It is because they can cast their votes psychologically, that is, they vote to acquit Sara Duterte despite the manifest evidence. By acquitting, they absolve themselves, by transference, of their past corruption. These judges are afraid to convict because of their past transgressions.
It is because until today, more than ten years later, Marcoleta and Villanueva have never been fully prosecuted because of the power of their influence. If they were truly guilty of plundering public money, they are scot-free when they should be behind bars. The poor man and woman on the street are easily jailed even for petty misdemeanors.
Marcoleta and Villanueva are part of the privileged few exempted from accountability in this kakistocracy of ours.
And we are not done with Jinggoy Estrada’s accountability yet. He has to go back to jail if the Sandiganbayan issues its final verdict.
The views in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of VERA Files.