Arroyo announced that the money in accordance with the law on recovered ill-gotten wealth from the Marcos family will be used for the Agriculture Sector and Agrarian Reform.
[2] In March 2004, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that Senator Panfilo Lacson accused President Arroyo of vote-buying by authorizing the release of ₱728 million.
After a year, an episode of The Probe Team reported that some farmers claimed that they did not receive fertilizers from the funds released by the Department of Agriculture.
[6] He cleared President Arroyo of any direct involvement, including the congressmen and other local officials implicated in the fertilizer fund scam.
[7] Task Force Abono in 2008 looked into the involvement of some 140 congressmen in the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) program of the Department of Agriculture.
[10][11] The group was indicted for graft and malversation of public funds over PHP5 million worth of projects, including the anomalous purchase of fertilizers in 2004 in Surigao del Norte.
[13] In April 2024, the Sandiganbayan affirmed its December 7, 2023, conviction of former Lazi, Siquijor, mayor Orville Fua and four others for graft over the release of ₱4.99 million in the Fertilizer Fund scam.