The Never Ending Democratization of the Philippines 117 The top officials of the Department of Agriculture led the questionable implementation of its fertilizer subsidy program. The department disbursed funds meant to buy fertilizers. Cooperatives and foundations were supposed to be the recipients. In the Senate hearings, the supplier admitted to overpricing the fertilizers. Worse, the fertilizers were so diluted and were practically useless. This was only a part of the impunity with which the procedures were bent to suit the self-interest of the President's political coalition. It was also admitted in the hearings that there was an illicit group of brokers who were ready to facilitate the paper work, like providing ghost cooperatives and foundations, for the illegal transaction. This group of fixers also helped the recipient politician by facilitating the release of the subsidy. In addition to the appropriated monies, the President also has authority over official development assistance. The National Broadband Project to be financed by the government of the People's Republic of China is another instance of the employment of delegative authority. The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee could have very well described accurately the definition of delegative authority. In its Senate Committee Report 743 dated November 11, 2009, the committee says: This is a story of how people in high places—the relatives of the most powerful men and women in government—took advantage of their relationships, either with their parents or spouse, to cajole the Executive into entering a national broadband contract that would obtain something our country does not need and which is manifestly disadvantageous to the Filipino people. It is about the war of the most powerful, most influential and most organized syndicates in government, some members of which are public officers, who were at each other's throats because of an alleged double-cross. It is about the never-ending battle among the political elite for economic power, domination and control. (Senate Committee Report 743 November 11, 2009: 4). Unlike the fertilizer scandal which was implemented with impunity, the National Broadband Project was cancelled by President Arroyo during the hearings conducted by the Senate. The important lesson that should not be missed here is: the execution of a questionable project can be stopped by a timely exercise of Congress of its functions of oversight and investigation in aid of legislation. The disbursement of the legislators' development fund, and the executive power over the execution of the expenditure program as well as the official development assistance, show how the powers of the executive could employ delegative authority. The challenge in these cases is how to make the executive accountable for this self-interested exercise of his powers. This