[ad_1]
MANILA, Philippines – A special task force led by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to eliminate corruption in the government ahead of President Rodrigo Duterte’s resignation will begin investigating transactions involving at least P1 billion in public funds, according to the Undersecretary of Justice Emmeline Aglipay-Villar.
“No particular transactions were identified, only the agencies and the limit amount. But these will be included in the investigation. [to be] “Villar told reporters after members of the task force met on Friday.
In addition to the minimum amount, he said that the charges of public officials accused of irregularities and the seriousness of the effect of the alleged irregularities in the provision of public services would also be considered by the working group to decide which cases they would be given. primary importance. .
The president had promised to stamp out corruption within the first three to six months of his term, which ends in June 2022.
First date
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said representatives from various state agencies had their first meeting on Friday to discuss how to carry out the president’s order.
He said the task force would maintain an operations center at the DOJ Manila office to “receive, filter and validate complaints and reports of corrupt activities” in the government.
“Our objectives are to investigate and prosecute acts of corruption, accelerate the resolution of pending corruption cases and launch a campaign or advocacy to prevent further acts of corruption,” said Guevarra.
“The task force will create compound strike teams to focus on specific objectives of [the] investigation, ”he said.
Villar said that members of the task force discussed its specific objectives and structure and agreed on “parameters to determine which allegations the task force will consider.”
He said they also agreed to “prioritize” the investigation of five agencies previously identified by Guevarra as the most corrupt: the Internal Revenue Bureau, the Customs Office, the Land Registration Authority, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation and the Department of Public Works. and Highways (DPWH), headed by her husband.
Acquitted
Guevarra said investigators would also look to other agencies “where corruption has a significant impact on the provision of government services.”
Villar’s husband, former Las Piñas representative Mark Villar, is the secretary of the DPWH, which Duterte himself identified as one of the departments where corruption had worsened under his administration.
However, the president immediately absolved Public Works Secretary Villar of any trace of corruption without conducting a formal investigation.
He said that the son of billionaire Manny Villar and the country’s wealthiest senator, Cynthia Villar, “already has a lot of money that he doesn’t need to steal” from the government.
Campaign promise
But Undersecretary Villar said in an interview with the ANC on Thursday that Duterte was only expressing his confidence in her husband, noting that all state officials and employees should be included in the president’s memorandum leading the government-wide corruption investigation. , “Which means that one is not exempt.”
Duterte won the presidency thanks to his audacious campaign promise to rid the country of illegal drugs and crime, and clean up the government in just the first few months of his administration.
Apparently fed up with the constant corruption under his administration, the president had ordered Guevarra to head the task force that would investigate and prosecute corrupt public officials, a mandate specifically given by the Constitution to the Ombudsman’s Office.
Guevarra said that the working group would be made up of representatives of the National Investigation Office, the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission, the Office of the Special Assistant to the President, the National Prosecutor’s Office and the Anti-Money Laundering Council.
He said he would also ask the Audit Commission, the Civil Service Commission and the Ombudsman to assist in the investigation.
Read next
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer and more than 70 other titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download from 4am and share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
For comments, complaints or inquiries, please contact us.
[ad_2]
