The task force investigating the graft begins with the ‘usual suspects’

The investigation into corruption in state agencies by a task force led by the Department of Justice (DOJ) will begin with the “usual suspects,” Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Wednesday.

“DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways), BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue), BOC (Customs Office), LRA (Land Registration Authority) and PhilHealth (Philippine Health Insurance Corp.),” Guevarra said in a message. of text. .

Ongoing immigration investigation

In a radio interview, Guevarra said: “We will continue our investigation [of] PhilHealth, we’re not done with that yet. DPWH was already mentioned by the president. Then, the usual suspects, we have always heard of them, BOC, BIR and even agencies directly dependent on the DOJ such as LRA. We will also investigate irregularities or some corrupt activities that are taking place there. “

“The probe [of] the Immigration Office is [going on]. We have done a lot [in Immigration], many have been suspended and complaints were recently filed [with] the (Office of the) Ombudsman. Changes have also been made in the Corrections Office ”, added Guevarra.

Fed up with the worsening scandal at PhilHealth, the hefty allegations of pork “parking” in the DPWH budget, and allegations that immigration officials and employees pocketed up to P40 billion in bribes to allow illegal Chinese workers Enter the Philippines, President Duterte ordered Guevarra on Tuesday to launch a broad investigation into government-wide corruption and focus on the DPWH.

Mr. Duterte issued a memorandum that expanded the work of a previous task force formed to investigate allegations of widespread corruption at PhilHealth and authorized Guevarra to form as many panels as necessary for the new investigation.

The directive gives the Justice Department the power to decide which allegations to investigate and to work with other agencies.

Guevarra’s task force will investigate irregularities in state agencies until the end of Duterte’s term in 2022.

On Wednesday, Guevarra said the task force would begin investigating priority agencies at the national level.

“But if we have to go down to the regional level, to the local level, we will,” he said, quoting PhilHealth, where “irregularities mainly occur not at the central office but at the regional offices.”

By hand

Although it was the president who authorized the investigation, Guevarra assured that the DOJ had a free hand to investigate and file charges with the Ombudsman’s Office.

“The president has given the Department of Justice a free hand to present cases, but if presidential appointees are to be charged, official courtesy requires that the appointing authority be informed in advance,” Guevarra said.

“Our result is not just a recommendation. We [will] present the cases directly with the Ombudsman ”, he added.

Guevarra said he met Tuesday with Attorney General Benedicto Malcontento and the officer in charge of the National Investigations Office Eric Distor to organize the new working group.

He said that “methods of obtaining information on incidents of corruption in government [agencies]and possible approaches [to investigating] complaints of corruption, taking into account the seriousness of the complaints and their impact on the provision of government services ”.

He said it was agreed during the meeting that the core group of the PhilHealth task force led by the Justice Department would again take up the new, broader investigation. This group includes the NBI, the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission, the Office of the Special Assistant to the President (Osap), the National Prosecutor’s Office and the Anti-Money Laundering Council.

Presidential appointees

Guevarra said Osap had been asked to join the working group for handling presidential appointments that would be investigated and whose service could be immediately terminated by the president.

The Audit Commission (COA), the Civil Service Commission and the Ombudsman would also be asked to work with the working group, Guevarra said.

The task force, Guevarra said, has “twin goals”: to prosecute corrupters and introduce measures to combat corruption in state agencies, educate citizens about the evils of corruption, and promote the values ​​of integrity and civility.

Guevarra said the working group would establish a secretariat for citizens to report corruption. It will also investigate cases arising from COA reports and Congressional investigations, he said.

Meanwhile, the Secretary of Labor, Silvestre Bello III, said he would form a high-level group at the Department of Labor and Employment to assist in the investigation led by the Department of Justice.

Bello said his department’s working group would be led by two undersecretaries and representatives from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and the National Labor Relations Commission, most of whom they would be lawyers.

Labor Relations Undersecretary Benjo Benavidez said the task force would investigate allegations of corruption and refer officials who should be charged to the task force led by the Justice Department for filing complaints. —WITH REPORT FROM DONA Z. PAZZIBUGAN

Read next

Don’t miss out on the latest news and information.