THE United Opposition yesterday said Malacañang cannot conveniently blame local government units and wash its hands of involvement in the misuse of P218 billion in farm subsidy money.

"This administration seems determined to steal everything from the Filipino people. In 2004 they took away our vote and now they steal our rice and our vegetables. In the midst of this rice and veggie scam it is interesting to see how quickly the Arroyo administration turns against their own allies, blaming the local government units for the anomalies," UNO spokesman Atty. Adel Tamano said. "With friends like that, who needs enemies?"

UNO National Capital Region chair and San Juan Mayor JV Ejercito said the much ballyhooed dole-outs by Malacañang deserve closer scrutiny.

"These so-called dole-outs handed out by the Arroyo administration can only end up being used for anomalies and corruption. The P500 handed out from the collection of the EVAT should be scrutinized more closely to see whether it ended up with indigents or in the pockets of Arroyo’s crony crocodiles in government."

Coming on the heels of the P728-million fertilizer scam where government funds were diverted to the campaign kitty of President Arroyo in the 2004 elections, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has found itself embroiled anew in anomalies, this time for the irregularities involving the P218 billion Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) program.

Akbayan party-list Rep. Riza Hontiveros called on Congress to investigate the DA.

She said there is "rampant and unhindered corruption in the agency that is bordering on a crime against humanity."

Citing a Commission on Audit report, Hontiveros said that signatures of the beneficiaries of the P218.7-million program for 2007 were faked.

The GMA program was supposed to help farmers and fisherfolk obtain hybrid rice seeds and fertilizers through subsidies. The COA in a report said the program has been "tainted with weaknesses and irregularities."

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap claimed the distribution by municipal agricultural officers (MAOs) of government-subsidized seeds and fertilizer to farmer-beneficiaries in certain provinces was beyond the Palace’s authority claiming that these MAOs were not under the supervision and control of his agency.

Makati Mayor and UNO president Jejomar C. Binay said lack of transparency and corruption in the fund disbursement of the GMA program of the Arroyo administration is undermining the country’s food security and depriving farmers of income.

"The perpetrators of these irregularities have raided funds intended to boost productivity of rice farmers, and to assist them during lean months. They have literally taken away food from the tables of poor Filipinos," Binay said.

Binay noted that the DA has figured prominently in election-related irregularities, citing the 2004 fertilizer scam.

"It seems DA funds have become a convenient source of political funds, and it gives us all the more reason to look deeper into how DA funds have been disbursed," he said.

"These irregularities are putting at risk the country’s capability to provide food for Filipinos in the coming years. It also worsens the poverty in the rural areas, since funds for poverty alleviation are being siphoned off. And it would appear that once again, the funds have been used for election purposes," he said.

Binay said he is not putting much faith in the investigation ordered by President Arroyo.

"If the trail leads to her political allies and supporters, I am certain that the investigation will die a natural death, similar to the so-called probe of Joc-Joc Bolante," he said.

Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said the use of fake beneficiaries in agriculture programs like the fertilizer and seed subsidies undermined the food security program and food production efforts of the President Arroyo.

"We are going to help this project if we continue the investigation at the proper level. Hanapin natin iyung mga taong may kagagawan nito. Let the COA investigation results be forwarded to the proper agency," Dureza said.

He defended Yap, saying that the implementation of the agriculture programs has been devolved to the regional offices and local government units’ level.

The COA also uncovered irregularities in the disbursement of P135 million Gulayan ng Masa program which involves the distribution of vegetable seeds and planting materials intended to augment the income of farmers in- between planting seasons.

Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr., said the COA erred in alleging that the P4.3 billion in food production funds that the Budget department released to the DA last year was made without any prior request from the recipient agency.

"We have in our records the corresponding letter of request for each of the releases… Kilala kami bilang kuripot. Hindi kami nagbibigay kapag hindi hinihingi."

The DBM in a statement said of the nine projects covered by the P4.3 billion fund, six were requested and released in November and December while the two were made in July and the last one in February, all in 2007.

The February release, amounting to P1.5 billion, went to the DA’s GMA program which coincided with the start of the traditional summer work "in which agencies take advantage of the good weather window to build public works."

The other releases, like the P70 million for the Bagsakan Food Terminal and Bagsakan Center Projects, and the P27.5 million for the Agno River Integrated Project and two small irrigation projects in Samar and Catanduanes are all accounted for.