Bill on OSG absorption of PCGG, OGCC functions OK’d

A bill in the House of Representatives has been approved, under which the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) absorbs the functions of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) and the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC).

The measure is seen as an abolition of the PCGG and OGCC if the consolidated bill will be enacted and signed into law by President Duterte.

It seeks to enhance the efforts of the government to fully and effectively recover ill-gotten wealth and properties of the Marcoses and their alleged cronies, as well as ensure the efficient investigation and prosecution of decadesold cases.

The justice committee, headed by Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, en- dorsed the report sponsored by Leyte Rep. Vicente Veloso on the unnumbered bill, which is a consolidation of House Bills 3275, 4748, 5216, 5233, 350 and 547 that seeks to strengthen the OSG.

Authors of the bill include Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, House majority leader Rodolfo Fariñas, deputy speaker Miro Quimbo, Reps. Evelina Escudero (Sorsogon), Rodel Batocabe (Ako Bicol), Joaquin Chipeco (Laguna) and Umali, among others.

In Quimbo’s explanatory note, he said the bill aims to strengthen the OSG by “providing its lawyers and employees benefits and privileges already being enjoyed by their counterparts in other government offices.”

The bill also provides for the OSG chief’s position to be equivalent to that of a Supreme Court justice.

Veloso, in his sponsorship speech, said the consolidated bill was supposed to be approved by the House panel as early as August this year.

The approval was moved to a later date due to the concerns of the justice committee members on the merger.

According to him, these concerns primarily referred to PCGG and OGCC officials who would be affected by the abolition of their respective offices.

Veloso said subcommittee members met on Oct. 3 to prepare a new substitute bill incorporating amendments.

Updates on the improved consolidated bill include mandating a special task force of at least five divisions to be primarily responsible in performing PCGG functions.

“This means that at least 50 lawyers from the OSG will be tasked to recover ill-gotten wealth and pursue cases that have already been initiated by the PCGG,” Veloso said.