DOJ HASTENS PROBE ON BI’S ‘PASTILLAS’
JUSTICE Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Thursday vowed to speed up the ongoing investigation of Bureau of Immigration (BI) personnel linked to the “pastillas scheme” after President Duterte said he expected them to be dismissed from the government service.
“We will expedite the investigation and impose the proper penalty upon those who may be found guilty,” Guevarra said.
The Justice Secretary was reacting to a statement by Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque that Duterte’s remark at his State of the Nation Address—that he had ordered the dismissal of the BI personnel involved in the pastillas scam—might have been a directive to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the BI to do so.
In his sixth SONA last July 26, Duterte mentioned he fired 43 Immigration personnel in connection with the “pastillas” scheme.
However, Guevarra on Wednesday clarified that the BI employees were merely suspended for six months and have already returned to work pending the resolution of the criminal and administrative cases against them before the Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice (DOJ)
BI spokesman Dana Sandoval clarified that these BI personnel have not been assigned to sensitive posts in the bureau since their return to the BI after their sixmonth suspension lapsed last month.
She said in compliance with standard procedures on personnel with administrative cases, these BI personnel were assigned to administrative offices with back-end and non-sensitive positions.
Of the 86 originally placed under preventive suspension by the Ombudsman, 84 have reported back to work as one had already retired and another one was considered a whistleblower in the controversy, she said.
Guevarra noted that both the Ombudsman and the DOJ may exercise disciplinary power on BI employees for dishonesty and other major administrative offenses, provided that respondents are given due process.
On the other hand, Guevarra said those who are on job-order basis only may be terminated immediately.