SENATE minority leader Aquilino Pimentel III yesterday urged the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs to unmask the people behind the “ayuda” (assistance) in the Davao region which he said has affected dozens of residents.
The committee kicked off its inquiry into the issue on Tuesday after Davao del Norte Gov. Edwin Jubahib late last year requested for a hearing on the matter.
According to Jubahib, more than 60 residents from Davao del Norte and seven from Davao de Oro fell prey to the illegal scheme, where devious individuals slashed the financial assistance given by the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Labor and Employment to eligible indigent beneficiaries.
Jubahib said the beneficiaries were made to sign documents that they received P5,000 even if they only P1,000 each.
Pimentel said that the impression that the scam is merely a political issue in Davao del Norte is no longer true following the testimonies of the witnesses.
“The mission of the committee is to crack down on the group that has taken advantage of the government programs such as the Government Internship Program (GIP) and the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS). This committee, with the help of the minority group, will get to the bottom of this,” Pimentel said.
“For me this no longer a Davao del Norte politics, we need to find out the syndicate operating behind this,” he added.
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada said the committee should hold accountable all personalities involved in the scheme.
Alias Mon, a former employee of Davao del Norte vice governor Carlo “Oyo” Uy, admitted during the hearing that she deducted huge amounts of money from the payouts of the AICS and the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Displaced Workers (TUPAD), and allegedly turned over the slashed amounts to a staff of the vice governor.
Mon said she decided to attend the hearing after receiving threats in her cellphone.
Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, panel chairman, vowed to get to the bottom of the complaints.
“We are present in this hearing to get to the bottom of this issue. Mainly, we are here to know whether there is indeed a scam, a scheme or an illegal mechanism in the distribution of financial assistance implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development and other government agencies in the Davao region or any other region in the Philippines, and whether our government agencies are capable of, or if their efforts are adequate in preventing such scheme,” Dela Rosa said.
