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 P4.99 million in the Fertilizer Fund scam.