Amid ‘cash gifts’ row, League will give other execs P500K

Despite the public outcry over cash handouts given to governors in Malacañang, an official of the League of Provinces of the Philippines said his group still plans to dole out even more money to other governors in the coming weeks.

Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone, who is also League secretary general, on Wednesday said his group will give out P500,000 to other governors in the coming weeks.

“May ibibigay kami sa susunod na linggo tig-P500,000 (We’ll still distribute P500,000 each to governors in the coming weeks)," Evardone said in an interview on dzBB radio.

He did not name the governors, but noted the league has 81 members representing all 81 provinces of the country.

Evardone said the fund for the governors would reach up to P20 million.

Also, he insisted the money mainly came from “annual membership dues" but indicated the dues ranged from P60,000 to P200,000. He did not explain the discrepancy in dues.

Evardone said the league accepts funds from “donor agencies and financial institutions," which he also did not name.

He admitted that the League gives out money to governors through checks but gave cash to neophyte governors Ed Panlilio (Pampanga) and Joselito Mendoza (Bulacan) last Oct. 11 because there was no time.

“Normally check 'yan. Biglaan kasi ang nangyari sa Malacañang dahil nagkataon nandoon si Gov. Panlilio at Mendoza. Ang secretariat gumawa ng paraan para bigyan sa kanila (Normally we give out the money in checks. But the meeting at Malacañang was hastily called and Panlilio and Mendoza happened to be there. The secretariat found a way to give the money to them)," he said.

The money was given to Panlilio and Mendoza in paper bags following their meeting in Malacañang. Evardone did not explain how the money was cleared through presidential guards.

Neither did Evardone explain why the league secretariat did not immediately ask Panlilio and Mendoza for receipts for the cash, or why the League – and Malacañang - kept quiet about the issue for almost two weeks.

“Dapat mag-submit sila ng resibo at liquidation report... Yan ang problema sa secretariat namin, di napa-receive sa dalawang governors. Baka ngayon o bukas magbigay ng acknowledgment (The two governors should submit receipts and liquidation reports. That is the problem with our secretariat, they did not ask for a receipt from the two. Perhaps today or tomorrow we’ll ask them to acknowledge the money)," Evardone said.

Evardone said the League kept quiet because Palawan Gov. Joel Reyes was out of the country at the time.

He also said the money was part of a new program for “alliance and capability building."

“Ang DILG walang kinalaman diyan, programa namin yan. Internal naming program yan (The Interior Department has nothing to do with it. It’s our internal program)," he said. - GMANews.TV