(CNN Philippines) — Kabuhayan at Kalusugan Alay sa Masa Foundation Inc. (KKAMFI) and Gabay at Pag-asa ng Masa Foundation Inc. (GPMFI) are among the 82 questionable nongovernment organizations tagged in a special government audit report on the alleged misuse of lawmakers’ pork barrel funds from 2007 to 2009.
The two NGOs are still active.
In fact, they have general information sheets filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as recent as last year — dated November 24 for KKAMPI and November 21 for GPMFI.
“They are existing,” Justice Undersecretary Jose Justiniano, who’s helping the Office of the Ombudsman in its probe of the same, says. “But we are not aware whether they are still doing business.”
Research by CNN Philippines shows that both NGOs carried out what they called “vermicomposting projects” in 2012 and 2013.
During that period, according to a COA audit, 10 lawmakers, assigned their PDAF to these projects under the account of GPMFI.
These lawmakers are Reps Rodante Marcoleta, Marinao Piamonte, Abigail Faye Ferriol, Leopoldo Bataoil, Baby Aline Vargas Alfonso, Eduardo Gullas, Julieta Cortuna, Francisco Matugas, Sherwin Tugna, and Loreto Leo Ocampos.
The P73 million in funds supposedly funded the distribution of backyard vermicomposting and vegetable gardening starter kits.
The KKMAPI vermicomposting projects were done in 2012 using the Priority Development Assistance Fund of three lawmakers — Reps. Francisco Matugas, Mariano Piamonte Jr., and Baby Aline Vargas Alfonso.
Its statement of sources and application of funds for 2012 puts the total project cost at P5,990,420 million.
Several barangays in Misamis Oriental supposedly received more than P300,000 in farming kits.
But these kits never arrived, according to Leonard Winstanley, president of the Association of Barangay Captains in Misamis Oriental.
In an interview with CNN Philippines, he says: “Sinabihan ko secretary ko. Sabi niya wala daw. Sayang talaga. Makakatulong yon sa mga nangangailangan ng tulong.”
[Translation: “I asked my secretary about it, who said there were no kits. It’s really a pity. That would have helped those who needed help.”
No offices
Recent findings in the SEC show that KKAMFI and GPMFI have the same address in Pasig City, at the Reliance I.T. Center.
CNN Philippines visited the place and found nothing there relating to either NGO.
So who are behind these NGOs?
The same names appear in both their articles of incorporation:
Godofredo Roque
Marilou Ferrer
Marioiu Antonio
Undersecretary Justiniano has an idea of how this group operates.
“One is a supplier of products [for example]. One is the one implementing the project,” he says. But the owners are the same.
CNN Philippines’ found other NGOs operated by the same persons:
Kaagapay Magpakailanman Foundation Inc. (KMFI)
Buhay Mo Mahal Ko Foundation Inc. (BMMFKI)
Kasangga sa Magandang Bukas Foundation, Inc. (KMBFI)
All three last updated their records with the SEC in 2013 — the first on October 16, the second on August 28, and the third on September 24.
CNN Philippines went to places listed as their office address. All of them were nonexistent.
Five NGO networks identified
Prof. Giovanni Tapang of the National Institute of Physics at the University of the Philippines used network analysis on the PDAF transactions.
With the help of his students, he found out that there were five NGO networks that transacted with the same group of lawmakers.
The NGOs mentioned earlier are in the same group, which from 2007 to 2009 secured PDAF projects totaling P1.393 billion.
The group composed of Napoles-linked NGOs secured PDAF projects totaling P2.87 billion.
“There are other groups that received money as large as [that of] the Napoles group, that has yet to be investigated,” Tapang says.
Still Undersecretary Justinano says it’s not easy investigating the NGOs identified in the COA report.
“This is a nationwide operation,” he says. “And you must understand that we have very few investigators.”
The Office of the Ombudsman and COA officials declined to be interviewed at the time of this writing, because the investigations are still in progress.
Related: CNN Philippines Investigates: Pork scams beyond Napoles (Part 1)
