Php700M Phil Navy Fuel Deal Investigated by COA

     The Commission on Audit  (COA) has started investigating the more than 700Million peso fuel order/deal of the Philippine Navy (PN) with oil giant Petron Company. The issue arose when the COA discovered that the Philippine Navy has already fully paid the contract last 2011 but the products were not all delivered.

     The Philippine Navy top brass said that the only Php15M of fuel and lubricants are still unfurnished by Petron but reiterated that the supplies were readily available if the need arises like during typhoons and other emergency situations.

     The Petron Company also issued a statement recently that only Php2M worth of fuel and lubricants are still unused by the Philippine Navy but the said items are in their various warehouses and can be speedily provided or released to the PN if requested.

     Petron further said that the products were still stored in their various warehouses all over the country because the Philippine Navy lacks the appropriate facilities to stock them. Great, it seems that Petron and the Philippine navy has a very healthy symbiotic relationship. The only problem is this, the two entities could be collaborating in cheating and stealing public funds.

     Who can really prove that the fuel/lubricants were all delivered by Petron and used by the Philippine Navy? Let’s all accept the fact that the Philippine Navy is one of the most corrupt agency in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Ever wonder why we don’t have modern ships to patrol and defend our territory despite the annual budget of the AFP or the Philippine Navy?

     I definitely agree that the Commission on Audit should dig deeper into this issue. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of AFP or Philippine Navy officials and even higher ups at Petron got filthy rich from this Php700M fuel/lubricant deal….Thieves, they are all over the place….they keep on multiplying like maggots on a dead animal.