Cong Yap sees need to reform 

Government financing system

TAGBILARAN CITY, February 2 (PIA)—Now seeing himself as a victim of a faulty system, Congressman Arthur Yap, during a press conference January 25 at the Jjs Seafoods said he sees the need to reform government financing system and would be on to it in Congress.

Yap sees the need to make a better system of downloading government funds to local government through accountable persons, unlike the present system that has allowed scammers to tap into the government funds.

He hinted that a better system that would make government download funds to accountable persons could solve the problem.

He also noted that a reform of the mortgage law could empower micro, small and medium enterprises, which comprised a majority of the country’s businesses, and could further enhance capitals.

Now, banks are accordingly not as keen on picking mortgage loans due to a fault in the system.

Again figuring out in the news for another controversy, this time over alleged involvement in a government car-loan policy, Yap, whom many Boholanos consider as a gubernatorial timber, insisted that as a former secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA), all he did was to administer that the funds allocated went to the appropriate agencies to implement these funds.

Although figuring out in controversial news about the Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) like several more politicians, the third district representative maintained his innocence adding he has not been convicted even after the 5th PDAF investigation.

As a politician, Congressman Yap himself admitted however that these published cases made to tarnish his name, is hurting him and his family.

”Unfortunately, the situation in the country is that once you are included in the news report, people think you are already guilty,” he bemoaned.

Himself already exonerated by courts for doing what the law prescribes him to do as a public official, he said he would aggressively fight to defend himself and his companions in the recent case.

The case, which got the Boholano solon into the recent news, is about a Philippine Rice Research (PhilRice) car loan policy which the agency operating under the DA, implemented while Yap was still DA secretary.

The Ombudsman who investigated the case finds merit in the complaint that Yap, along with PhilRice members of the board of trustees, is guilty of allowing a car loan policy that is disadvantageous to the government.

PhilRice wanted to hold on to their technicians who are often pirated and are enticed for better pay, the offer of a car loan was a form of incentive, Yap claimed.

As a chairman of the board, the secretary Yap said he “approved” the plan on an expressed condition: that the program should follow the terms and policies on government procedures.

The terms and conditions which did not get back to the office of the secretary and was instead implemented by the PhilRice, without his knowledge, was later found out to be disadvantageous to the government.

“As to the actual terms and conditions of the policy, we were not part of it,” he insisted.

Among those in the charge sheets were top aggie officials including a national artist for agriculture how died heartbroken because of the case, Yap claimed.

“I never received any benefit, and I had told them the conditions, “it must not be disadvantageous to the government, not unfair to the company, management approved it, the former aggie chief said.

On this, the Bohol District 3 congressman, who appears to be pushed into the limelight as soon as he was among those considered for the gubernatorial seat, hoped that Ombudsman look into their defense.

“The Ombudsman should see if those lumped in the cases availed and benefited of the car loan, or if they approved the terms and conditions of the move,” he told media in a press conference Friday, January 27.

“We find it very unfair,” Yap who met with co-respondents of the case added they will aggressively fight for this.

The congressman may have been tagged in numerous allegations of graft, but has not been legally convicted of any of the charges after his stint as agriculture secretary. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

Reform to a faulty government financing system, calls Congressman Arthur Yap who pities many public official who are made accountable to the funds which they did not implement. At a press conference, the Boholano solon said the case filed against them for the PhilRice brouhaha is a classic example. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)