No prying on PACC
He did not identify the officials, however. Belgica only said that the investigation commenced as early as February and is expected to wrap up by October
President Rodrigo Duterte will remain clueless about the identities of two Cabinet secretaries being probed by the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC).
That is until the investigations are over and a recommendation is made on the fates of his close officials involved in alleged corruption cases.
This was disclosed on Monday by presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo, who said the PACC is keeping under wraps further information about its investigation even from the Palace.
PACC Commissioner Greco Belgica last week revealed that his office is in the middle of a probe on two “incumbent” and “Cabinet ranked” officials over corruption allegations.
He did not identify the officials, however. Belgica only said that the investigation commenced as early as February and is expected to wrap up by October.
He also shared that among all government agencies, the PACC receives the most complaints against the Bureau of Customs (BoC) and Internal Revenue (BIR), and Departments of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). He refused to comment if the officials being probed are from these agencies.
“I asked the President about it. He said, ‘I don’t know who,’” Panelo said. “That’s supposed to be their (PACC’s) job. When they finally send their report, recommendation, that’s the time the President will know because the President does not interfere nor intrude in any activity in any of the offices or agencies.”
Belgica said the anti-corruption body is also set to conclude in November its “lifestyle check” on top officials of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), including former general manager Alexander Balutan and incumbent board member Sandra Cam.
Fifteen former and current PCSO officers are now under the PACC’s close watch for alleged involvement in anomalies in the granting of licenses, franchises and operations of the different gaming schemes under the agency.
He disclosed that some names included in the list came directly from Malacañang. He, however, declined to reveal their identities so as not to compromise the investigation.
Those under investigation are former and current officials who supposedly passed board resolutions, approved franchises and created policies without the needed guidelines against corruption, which therefore defrauded the government of due remittances.
“Everyone will be included (in the investigation), all those who have held positions since the President assumed office until when he said there is massive corruption. Everyone will go through investigation,” the PACC official added.
The President suspended the operations of all gaming schemes of the PCSO on 26 July, citing “massive corruption” in the agency, but lotto operations resumed on 31 July while other gaming activities, such as the Peryahan ng Bayan, Small Town Lottery (STL) and Keno remain suspended.
Panelo said the President has told the national police that STL will resume “if you can convince me that there will be no corruption” and stressed that two STL operators went to his office last week to inform PCSO general manager Royina Garma about anomalies in the gaming scheme. Their meeting was reset because Garma had a prior appointment.
In a related development, the Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the dismissal of at least seven BoC employees after they were found guilty of the administrative charges filed against them.
The decisions, signed by Ombudsman Samuel Martires, were released yesterday, just a month after President Rodrigo Duterte appealed before a speech in Congress to help him fire erring Customs officials.
The Office of the Ombudsman has the power to dismiss officials it finds erring.
Dismissed were Customs Operation Officer V Lomonto Macabando; Deputy Collector for Operations Manila International Container Port (MICP) Ramon Hernandez; Customs Operations Officer III Vanzandt Remonde; Special Police Assistant Chief Jaybee Raul Cometa; and Customs Security Guard II Renly Tiñana.
The others were Special Agent I Oscar Farin and Customs Operations Officer III Vicente Gamboa.
Macabando was found guilty of grave misconduct for assisting two individuals who brought into the country assorted pieces of jewelry without BoC clearance, a clear violation of Republic Act 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.
Hernandez, meanwhile, was found guilty of three counts of Gross Neglect of Duty and Grave Misconduct in relation to the irregular transshipment from the MICP to the Port of Batangas of 539 cargo containers and the loss of 230 of these vessels.
Remonde was found guilty of Conduct Prejudicial to the Best of Interest of the Service, Grave Misconduct, Gross Neglect of Duty and Serious Dishonesty for clearing a shipment despite the misdeclaration of its contents.
Found guilty of Gross Neglect of Duty and Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Service was Cometa for his failure to properly encode a shipment allegedly filled with more than 200 kilos of shabu.
Belgica said the anti-corruption body is also set to conclude in November its ‘lifestyle check’ on top officials of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, including former general manager Alexander Balutan and incumbent board member Sandra Cam.