Lifestyle check on 400 govt personnel

ABOUT 400 government officials and employees are now the subject of a lifestyle check by the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC).

Speaking at a forum at the National Press Club on Friday, PACC Commissioner Manuelito Luna said among those under scrutiny are employees from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, Philippine Health Insurance Corp., Department of Public Works and Highways, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Immigration and governmentowned and - controled corporations.

He added that around 100 personalities had been checked and the recommendations had been submitted by the commission to Malacañang.

Luna did not name names, saying he was leaving it to the Palace to make the announcement.

“In a couple of days there would be a major announcement [by Malacañang] about what we have done. These are all high-profile [cases]. This will show the sincerity and seriousness of the Duterte administration [in its campaign against graft and corruption],” he said.

Luna, however, did confirm that majority of those being investigated were from the Customs and Internal Revenue bureaus, whose assets were beyond their legal means of income.

“Just looking at their physical wealth, like their vehicles and houses, you will be shocked already. It does not include yet their bank accounts or deposits. How could these people acquire so much wealth while the nation is suffering? They live a life of kings and queens. Where did they get their monies?” he said.

Luna added that the amount involved “runs into billions of pesos.”

Among the Customs officials and

employees who were investigated were those implicated in the disappearance of 641 shipping containers at the Port of Manila.

The containers, which were believed to contain high-value goods like sugar, rice or cigarettes, disappeared during the term of former Customs Commissioner and now Technical Skills and Development Authority Director Isidro Lapeña.

They were declared as containing ships’ spare parts and were processed

at the Customs bureau’s Informal Entry Division instead of through the Formal Entry Division.

The containers vanished between April to August 2018, but the disappearances were only discovered during an internal investigation from February to May 2019.

Administratively charged for negligence were former district collector of the Port of Manila Erastus Sandino Austria, Deputy Commissioner for Assessment Florante Ricarte and Informal Division chief Gliceria Umandap.

Luna said there were many other government departments and agencies that were being investigated but “those I mentioned were the top agencies.”