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JUSTICE Secretary Menardo Guevarra has created a “core group” that will go after corrupt government officials during President Duterte’s last two years in Malacañang.
The core group was formed following Guevarra’s meeting with senior Justice Department officials, including Attorney General Benedicto Malcontento and the Officer in Charge of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Eric Distor to discuss the organization of the task force to investigate allegations of corruption throughout the government.
The DOJ-led task force is comprised of the NBI, the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), the Office of the Special Assistant to the President (OSAP), the National Prosecution Service (NPS), and the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) . .
The working group will invite the Audit Commission (COA), the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and the Office of the Ombudsman to assist in the investigation “with due regard to their independence as constitutional bodies.”
Methods to be used to obtain information on incidents of government corruption and possible approaches to investigating allegations of corruption, taking into account the severity of the allegations and their impact on the delivery of government services, were also discussed at the meeting.
The creation of the task force was in line with Duterte’s memorandum that grants the Department of Justice the authority to decide which corruption allegations to investigate, taking into consideration their severity and the impact on the provision of government services.
The president also gave the Justice Department the discretion to create as many panels as it deems necessary and to invite or direct government agencies to assist or be part of the panel.
“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.
The working group has also formed a secretariat to accept and evaluate complaints about corruption and recommend to the working group which complaints should be prioritized.
Among the agencies that will be prioritized in the work group’s investigations are the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Customs Office (BoC), the Office of Internal Revenue (BIR), the Immigration Office (BI) and the Authority Land Registry, which is under the DOJ.
Senate Reminder
Senate leaders on Wednesday backed Duterte’s initiative to order the Justice Department to delve into the alleged anomalies.
The president of the Senate, Vicente Sotto III, confirmed the emerging consensus among the senators to give full support to the Palacio leadership.
Sotto said the Palace order will be of “great help” to the Ombudsman’s Office, adding that “the more investigators look for anomalies, the better.”
Sotto sees no need for Congress to provide the Justice Department with an additional budget to carry out the new task of supporting the Ombudsman in prosecuting the thieves.
For his part, the minority leader in the Senate, Franklin Drilon, former Secretary of Justice, recalled that “no one is above the law,” adding that this should be understood as that the working group can investigate all those who they are in government, including legislators.
Drilon noted, however, that the Department of Justice cannot directly bring corruption cases to Sandiganbayan, citing the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act which states that these must be approved by the Office of the Ombudsman.
DOLE working group
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) created its own task force to eliminate bribery and corruption within its ranks.
In an online press conference on Wednesday, the Undersecretary of Labor, Benjo Benavidez, revealed that the Secretary of Labor and Employment, Silvestre H. Bello III, made the decision in fulfillment of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s commitment to intensify the campaign. government anti-corruption in his remaining two years in office.
The working group will be chaired by two undersecretaries of labor and will include lawyers from the DOLE and its affiliated agencies.
Benavidez said the task force will “actively” conduct an internal, agency-wide investigation and will not rely on complaints against officials and labor personnel suspected of making mistakes.
“If the working group evaluates, there is a basis to present cases [against a labor official or personnel], the working group will have the power to endorse it to the DOJ (Department of Justice) so that it can present the necessary cases either in the Ombudsman’s Office or in the Civil Service Commission ”, said Benavidez.
The labor official emphasized that the task force will not replace the function of the administrative complaints committee (ACC) of the DOLE.
The task of the working group will be to carry out [investigation] on corruption and bribery because the existing committees [ACC] handling others, including issues of competence, integrity, absenteeism, and misconduct [of labor officials and personnel]”Said Benavidez.
Last Monday, Duterte assigned the Justice Department to lead the “mega task force” to investigate bribery and corruption in the government.
“The Secretary’s decision is to help the DOJ with its task,” Benavidez said.
He said the task force will also look at bureaucracy within the DOLE, which he said is one of the main reasons for bribery and corruption practices.
