Another ‘Estrada foundation’ in PDAF misuse?

When I read the Inquirer’s Feb. 28 banner story on the Commission on Audit’s findings regarding the misuse of almost P200 million of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocations of  Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and Sen. Bong Revilla, the immediate thing that came to my mind was the 2001 impeachment trial of then President Joseph “Erap” Estrada. If one may recall, in that trial, it was revealed that Estrada and his cohorts established the Erap Muslim Youth Foundation as a vehicle where they could stash dirty money collected from jueteng lords and other illegal gambling operators for “laundering.”  As we all know, this exposé, together with many others, led to the downfall of Estrada and to his conviction of plunder.

Now, more than 12 years after, it seems that history is repeating itself as the younger Estrada now finds himself in similar hot water for allegedly channeling millions of PDAF funds to a bogus nongovernment organization. His defense now is that it was the Department of Agriculture that recommended the NGO. Whether this is true or not, given the large amount of public funds involved, it would have been proper for him or his staff to at least check whether his PDAF allocations to that NGO was put into good use.

According to the Senate, an investigation is forthcoming with no less than COA chair Grace Pulido-Tan being invited to shed light on this matter. What is paramount is that this investigation be as transparent and as unbiased as possible so that like the 2001 Estrada impeachment, the public may know how our leaders truly act and how public funds culled from our hard-earned money are being used.

 —HARVEY S. KEH,

lead convenor,

Kaya Natin! Movement for

Good Governance and Ethical Leadership, [email protected]