The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) lambasted anew, former Department of Agriculture Sec. Luisito Lorenzo for his practice of charging his highly expensive trips to Livecor, an attached livelihood agency of the Department of Agriculture. According to Danilo “Ka Daning” Ramos, secretary general of the group “his Learjet trips on the first part of 2003 alone amounts to P446,527.51, which were paid in the Subic International Air Charter Inc. This is an extravagant misuse of public funds that could have been used instead to alleviate the suffering of farmers, by building irrigation or livelihood projects,”

“This is an indiscriminate waste of taxpayers’ money and should be investigated immediately. Lorenzo’s new appointment should also be held pending the result of a full blown investigation to the accounts of the DA during his term. We are now challenging Congress to do this,” added the peasant leader.

Lorenzo’s act violated Executive Order No. 248 and Section 3.1.1.5 of Commission on Audit (CoA) Circular 96-004 which states only ordinary public conveyance or customary modes of transportation shall be used.
 
As for his part Carl Anthony Ala, public information officer of KMP, “while our plunder case involving Lorenzo and Bolante on the P728 million fertilizer scam has been settled yet, these cases come into the fore, and thereby strengthening our case proving that indeed something big and fishy is stinking in the DA,”

“Lorenzo’s and Bolante’s rewards and promotions given by the administration should immediately be frozen and they should answer these charges in Congress and under extreme public scrutiny. It is quite ironic that the men of the administration calling for austerity are the ones busiest in splurging the people’s money. If they have any delicadeza at all they should have resigned by now,” ended Ala. # # #
 

KMP - 30 September 2004