Philippine Coconut Authority Administrator Oscar G. Garin has strongly condemned the published reports on P1.89 B billion salt fertilizer scam as baseless, malicious, irresponsible and unfairly damaging to cash-strapped PCA which mainly relies on funding agencies for the implementation of its vital projects and programs.

“The reports present preposterous and erroneous data and information which former Secretary Leonardo Montemayor must have wrongly picked up from an unscrupulous source” Garin declared as he categorically stated that as far as the reported amount is concerned, there was no such bidding that occurred since such amount is only a projection of expenditures proposed for the year 2008.

“This amount represents only the projected funding support for the various proposed PCA projects needed to enable the country to increase coconut production by up to 270,000 metric tons by next year” he explained clarifying that the PCA does not have yet a single centavo of the said amount.

Garin disputed point by point the misinformation supplied by Montemayor as all wrong and baseless. “The salt fertilizer we are dealing about costs only around six pesos, and not 25 pesos per kilo” he proceeded clarifying that PCA’s fertilization program costs only between P1,200 to P1,400 per hectare and not P3,000 per hectare as erroneously pegged by the former secretary.

As to issuances of certificate of availability of funds, Garin explained that PCA does not issue the same as it is done by funding agencies which committed to provide funding support for a particular PCA project. “All that the PCA does is to facilitate the bidding based on approved budget and the distribution or delivery of contemplated aids or services to our coconut farmers” he added.

Garin hinted that Montemayor may be referring to the P80 million salt fertilizer recently procured for the partial implementation of the PCA’s salt fertilization project.

“This is true that we are now about to distribute salt fertilizers worth P80 million pesos, but we assure the public that the procurement of these items was done according to established procedures” he declared explaining that the bidding conducted was open and public, with all requisites complied with such as posting in the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System, publication in newspapers, posting in conspicuous places and the observance of two-envelope system for the submission of bids.

Garin lamented that the PCA’s assiduous efforts at creatively facilitating funds from different concerned entities for the needed projects to improve coconut production have been hampered by the malicious imputations.

“While it will be a welcome relief for the former secretary to stop wallowing in this gutter information, the damage he has done to PCA is irreparable especially that the agency is strengthening partnerships with both the real coconut farmers and support agencies in the national and local government levels” Garin explained.

In conclusion and looking at the brighter side, Garin expressed gratefulness to Montemayor for indirectly bringing to the limelight the said program and hoped that such will generate more concern and result to more commitments from fund support sources and more active participation of coconut farmers.

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