Militant farmers from the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) called on Congress to launch a full-blown inquiry on the controversial agricultural funds of the Department of Agriculture. “ Our party-list representatives from Anakpawis should look into this matter because the ones at the losing end are the farmers and this issue keeps cropping up,” said Danilo “Ka Daning” Ramos, secretary general of the group.

“The inquiry should immediately be pursued to get to the truth at the soonest time possible and so as not to suffer the same fate as the plunder case we filed against President Macapagal-Arroyo, Se. Luisito Lorenzo and Undersecretary Jocelyn Bolante on the Ombudsman,” added the peasant leader.

The group reiterated that the cases filed should be probed to the bottom and the culprits should be punished. It also stressed that in the two cases the common denominator is Undersecretary Jocelyn Bolante, and up till now he is still trotting the globe. 

“We are calling for Bolante’s immediate preventive suspension so as not to influence the result of the probe and the case. As for incoming DA Secretary Arthur Yap, we have nothing against him but we challenge him to do all in his power to get to the bottom of this controversy,” said Carl Anthony Ala, public information officer of KMP.

“The issue should immediately be resolved because now is the time that farmers need fertilizers due to the fact that it is planting season. The unscrupulous individuals behind this scam do not even care that the thing they are juggling are the lives of our peasant brothers. They should be ashamed of themselves ” ended Ala. # # #
 

KMP - 31 July 2004