Kin of murdered witnesses hit special treatment for Bolante

MANILA, Philippines — The families of two murdered witnesses in the P728-million fertilizer fund scam complained on Friday of the special treatment being given to former agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn "Joc-Joc" Bolante while their relatives have yet to get justice. Ofelia "Nanay Perla" Rodriguez and Rose Arado expressed their disgust as Bolante, the alleged architect in the P728 million scam, continued to enjoy the luxury of being confined at expensive St. Luke’s Medical Center, where he was being treated for supposed myriad of ailments. "Nakakahiga siya sa malambot na kama, naka airconditioned, at may mga hi-trech na gamit samantalang kami patuloy na naghahanap sa mga mahal sa buhay (He is lying comfortably in an airconditioned high-tech hospital hospital while were are still looking for our loved ones," Rosa said in a press statement released by the Kilusang Magbubukid sa Pilipinas (KMP). Rose is the husband of Nilo Arado, KMP regional chairman and chairperson and region chair of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), who was reportedly abducted on April 12, 2007 in Oton town of Iloilo. Arado testified during a Senate hearing in that farmers from Panay Island never received fertilizer subsidies. “After the testimonies he was consistently under harassments such as being under surveillance," said the KMP. On April 12, 2007, Arado and other activists were traveling at barangay Cabanbanan, Oton town, when they were snatched by armed men. They remain missing till this day. Rodriguez, a resident of barangay Divisoria in Mexico, Pampanga, was shot in the head by a lone gunman who entered their house the evening of January 16, 2006, just after dinner, said the statement. The perpetrator was never caught and the case remained unsolved, it added. Rodriguez reportedly volunteered to be interviewed to provide testimonies to prove that they have never received any from the supposed fertilizer fund released by the Department of Agriculture. "The P728 million fund were pocketed and we never knew what happened, but certainly that farmers never benefited from it, witnesses being killed and harassed, continue to receive no justice, the culprit sent abroad and being pampered now at an expensive hospital, this is really a total contrast and unfortunately injustice and corruption prevails while Arroyo is seated as president," Danilo Ramos, KMP secretary-general said. - D’Jay Lazaro, GMANews.TV