MANILA - Vice-President Noli de Castro has denied that his ads promoting the objectives of the Home Development Mutual Fund, also known as Pagtutulungan sa Kinabukasan: Ikaw, Bangko, Industria at Gobyerno (Pag-IBIG) Fund, cost taxpayers half a billion pesos since 2007.
 
In an interview with ABS-CBN News on Wednesday night, de Castro said only P164 million has been spent for Pag-IBIG's television, radio, and newspaper ads since he started endorsing the service in 2007.
 
De Castro said the amount of P500 million, cited in an earlier abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak report, is the total cost of these Pag-IBIG ads since 2002.
 
Pag-IBIG data wrong?

However, it is not clear how de Castro came up with his figure.
 
The abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak report was based on the affidavit and testimony of Pag-IBIG vice-president for public relations Marjie Jorillo, who appeared in a court hearing last Monday.
 
Jorillos affidavit shows that a total of P208.5 million was allotted for the Pag-IBIG advertisements for 2009 alone.

The affidavit broke down the major expenditures as follows:

• P109 million for TV placements; 
• P54 million for radio placements;
• P16 million for newspaper placements;
• P9 million for cinema placements;
• P1.7 million for sponsorships.
   

During cross examination, Jorillo also testified that P120.97 million and P191 million were spent for Pag-IBIG ads in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Thus, the books of Pag-IBIG show that a total of P520.5 million was alloted for Pag-IBIG ads since 2007.
 
Lawyer Ernesto Francisco earlier filed a taxpayer’s complaint which sought a court injunction against de Castro and seven other high-ranking government officials from using public funds “for their respective political campaigns.”
 
Jorillo testified on Monday to justify the expenses for the Pag-IBIG's ads.
 
Where did P330-M go?

If de Castro's numbers are correct, Francisco wondered where the rest of the money was spent on?
 
"The P500 million figure came from his own witness who is a VP [vice-president] of Pag-IBIG and in charge of the said ads. The witness got the said figure from the records she brought to court," Francisco told abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak on Thursday when sought to comment on De Castro's denial.
 
"If Vice President de Castro is saying that only P164 million was spent, where did the rest of the money go? It must be stressed that the P500 million came from the contributions of Pag-IBIG members and even for this reason alone, he has to explain," Francisco added.
 
Effective endorser

De Castro also defended the Pag-IBIG ads from accusations that government funds are being used for personal gain. He said his ads have been instrumental in the success of the government's housing program.
 
Before de Castro, a celebrity used to endorse Pag-IBIG. But de Castro said the campaign was not effective. He said he was chosen for his popularity, and that he endorsed the government's housing program for free.
 
As a result of his campaign, de Castro said a total of P78 billion worth of loans have been availed of since 2007. He said this is an increase of 200 percent.
 
During Monday's court hearing, Jorillo testified that from 46,041 loans in 2007, equivalent to P22 billion, Pag-IBIG loans increased by 36 percent to 62,507 loans in 2008, equivalent to P34 billion.  
 
Not for Private Gain

Jorillo also said during the hearing that stopping de Castro’s Pag-IBIG ads “will cause grave injury and prejudice to its members.”
 
“Advertising and publicity has always been a crucial duty of the public relations and information services to ensure that the programs of the Pag-IBIG Fund will be properly communicated to its members," Jorillo said in the affidavit.
 
“The advertisements complained of, far from being vehicles for private gain, ensure that programs of the Pag-IBIG Fund are well communicated to its members, thereby ensuring success and compliance with the institution’s mandate under its charter,” she added.