Friday, February 10, 2006

Aklan Solon to File Raps vs Fertilizer Scam Witness

By Recto I. Vidal
The Aklan Governor and now Rep. Florencio Miraflores disclosed before the local media here that he will file appropriate charges against Jose Barredo Jr. who earlier accused him of receiving P1.5 million commission for the delivery of liquid fertilizer to Aklan.
"I'll definitely file the necessary charges against him (Barredo)for damaging my name. I'm now consulting with my lawyers and with my colleagues in Congress whose names were also dragged in this controversy. I believe that the court is the proper venue for us to ferret out the truth," Miraflores told the local media in various interviews.
Last week, the Aklan solon expressed surprise that his name was dragged in the controversy as he said he neither knew nor heard of Barredo.
"No such transaction of that nature ever took place before the May elections in 2004. While Aklan was a recipient of the P5 million, said project was implemented only in September 2004, when I was already a congressman," he clarified.
Miraflores also denied the existence of "ghost beneficiaries," contending that as per records at the Department of Agriculture, at least ten towns in Aklan benefited from said project among them are the capital town of Kalibo and New Washington.
He described Barredo's testimony as "contradictory" as he denied ever meeting the former.
"No money has ever changed hands. How can he claim that we have met when it has been my habit not to entertain visitors a day before elections? And I have no use with that money considering that election spending was over and considering further that it was the day before the elections," he pointed out. /MP

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