By Joyce Pangco Pañares

MALACAÑANG has asked the NBI to investigate a syndicate seeking to trick mayors into advancing money for non-existent farm-to-market roads and convincing them that part of the funding would go toward financing Charter change efforts.

“We believe the scheme could actually be a political hatchet job to destroy the administration,” said Undersecretary for External Affairs Danilo Consumido. “These people are using the issue of Charter change in the process of attempting to dupe our mayors.”

Consumido said the group was telling mayors that the Agrarian Reform Department had a P150-million fund per municipality to build farm-to-market roads, but that half of the amount would be used for a campaign to amend the Constitution.

The syndicate was also telling the mayors they must give them a 5-percent commission—or about P7.5 million—for each project.

While the syndicate asked for an advance on this commission, Consumido said the main objective seemed to be to do a hatchet job on the administration.

“The syndicate has met with several mayors on two occasions already. During the second meeting, at least 50 mayors from different provinces attended to discuss the fund,” he said.

He declined to identify the mayors.

The second meeting reportedly took place at the Max’s Restaurant in Malate, Manila.

Consumido said the Palace got wind of the scheme when two intermediaries who were in talks with the syndicate went to the Office of the President last month to verify the existence of the fund.

“A little arithmetic would have revealed that the scheme is a scam. At the promised P150 million per mayor, we would need P15 billion for 100 mayors. If 1,000 mayors were given P150 million each, that would be P1.5 trillion, which is more than our national budget,” Consumido said.

He said the syndicate prepared and distributed sample letters addressed to Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman, through Office of External Affairs Secretary Edgardo Pamintuan, for the mayors to sign.

He said the syndicate would also ask mayors to sign a “confirmation letter,” addressed to a certain Flerida Guerrero, authorizing it to negotiate on their behalf for a fee of 5 percent of the total amount, or P7.5 million.

Consumido said that Guerrero aside, a certain George dela Piedra had introduced himself to the mayors as a Malacañang employee, while a Roger Ferrer claimed he was with the Budget Department.

Pangandaman called up director Nestor Mantaring of the National Bureau of Investigation to follow up on the case, Consumido said.