Ex-senator Angara linked to NABCOR scam

MANILA - Senator Sonny Angara is confident his father, former senator Edgardo Angara, can clear his name after being linked to the pork barrel scam allegedly carried out through the National Agribusiness Corporation (NABCOR). Documents submitted by former NABCOR officials show the older Angara used NABCOR as his implementing agency for P20 million of his pork barrel allocation in 2009. Angara is not among the lawmakers currently being investigated by the Ombudsman. "I am concerned but I'm sure he can answer all these charges against him. His name came up in the Commission on Audit report. It's just appearing in the report and the COA commissioner said his name appearing in the report per se is not evidence of any criminal wrongdoing," the younger Angara said in an interview on Mornings@ANC. "I'm confident he can answer all these issues." Angara said his father was one of the first to set up his funds for a school feeding program. He said his father is abroad right now and will return to the country soon. "He is not hiding or anything," he said. Former NABCOR officials Vic Cacal and Rhodora Mendoza earlier said non-government organizations set up by alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles received at least P1.7 billion in priority development assistance funds of lawmakers from 2007 to 2009. The two NABCOR officials said the older Angara allocated P20 million of his PDAF to Kagandahan ng Kapaligiran Foundation in 2008. The foundation has not been linked to Napoles. Meanwhile, the younger Angara, who is chairman of the Senate ways and means committee, said he believes it is time to review the process of funneling government funds to non-government organizations. "There are safeguards in agencies we can put in place, limiting the use of funds and examine all government corporations where money is passing through," he said.