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Philcomsat P1M donation to PCGG bash made in 2004

THE P1 million donation made by the Philippine Communications Satellite (Philcomsat) Holdings Corp. to the Presidential Commission on Good Government was made in 2004 and not in 2005 based on a document obtained by Malaya.

The money was used in the 2005 Christmas party of the PCGG, according to Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile who exposed the transaction in a privilege speech last Jan. 29. Enrile had accused PCGG officials led by chairman Camilo Sabio of turning Philcomsat, a government-sequestered company, into a "milking cow."

In the document, the P1 million donation was described as "Cash for PR" entered in the Philcomsat ledger on June 24, 2004 as Check number 976 "for ELL to PCGG." ELL refers to Enrique L. Locsin, a board director of Philcomsat.

Enrile has accused Locsin of being among the appointed Philcomsat officials who have "dissipated" the funds of the sequestered company.

Sabio denied any knowledge of the money and instead linked Commissioner Nicasio Conti, who is not his favorite person in the PCGG, to the mess last Feb. 7. Conti, away on a three-month study leave in the United Kingdom, also denied any link to the "donation."

But while President Arroyo appointed Sabio PCGG commissioner only in October 2004 and Conti got his appointment papers only in July 2005, both were already with the commission during the Christmas party of 2005.

Sabio is now in the US for the oral arguments on Marcos ill-gotten assets while Conti is not expected home until April. - Ashzel Hachero

DA offers cheaper pork

AGRICULTURE Secretary Arthur Yap yesterday opened a pork storage project at Commonwealth Market in Quezon City which will offer pork meat products that are P10 cheaper than the prevailing market price.

"Pork-in-a-Box" and "Imbakan sa Bagsakan" involve providing a cold storage depot for pork meat products while awaiting distribution and transport to various points in Metro Manila.

Yap said the undertaking will also benefit hog growers raisers from Passi City in Iloilo , Pontevedra and Pan-ay towns in Capiz, and Kalibo and Altavaz in Aklan where most of the pork meat products will come from.

Under this Pork-in-a-Box project, slaughtered hogs are transported to the Pontevedra Meat Cutting Facility in Capiz, where modern blast freezing and packing equipment are used to store and chill the cut meat, before being transported through reefer vans via the country's roll on-roll off vessels to selling points across Metro Manila.

Pork now sells in Metro Manila at P160 to P170 per kilo. It used to sell at P140 per kilo. - Job T. Realubit

LCP asks SC to invalidate conversion of new cities

THE League of Cities of the Philippines on Tuesday petitioned the Supreme Court to invalidate for being unconstitutional the conversion of 16 municipalities into cities due to the local governments' failure to meet requirements prescribed by law.

Three petitions for prohibition were filed by LCP, Iloilo and Calbayog cities, Mayor Jerry Trenas of Iloilo City, and Pagadian City assailing the laws that created the new cities of Baybay, Bogo and Naga in Cebu; Catba-logan, Samar; Lamitan, Mati, Bayugan, Borongan, Batac, Tabuk, Tandag, El Salvador, Carcar, Guilhuingan, Tayabas and Cabadbaran.

During oral arguments yesterday, the LCP said the Local Government Code requires municipalities to have an income of at least a P100 million for the last two consecutive years, a population of at least 150,000 and a land area of at least 100 square kilometers before being converted into cities.

Petitioners said these requirements were not met by the above-named new cities.