The Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) will file a case every week against corrupt government officials, including high-value presidential appointees, its chairman said on Tuesday, April 27.
PACC Chairman Greco Belgica said that they regularly receive reports about government officials whose lifestyles are not commensurate to what they earn from their posts and what they declare on their Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN).
“Sila po ay pwedeng kasuhan ng unexplained wealth (We can file a case against them for unexplained wealth),” he said in the Laging Handa public briefing, noting they have a list of names of those who will be charged before the Office of the Ombudsman.
“Stacked up na po sa (in the) office and every week we are planning to file cases.”
Belgica said they are just waiting for the Office of the Ombudsman to reopen because it temporarily closed down after several staff tested positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
“We are ready to file a case against high-ranking government officials. We have a case to file against presidential appointees. Hopefully next week once the Ombudsman opens. This involves hundreds of millions of pesos. It’s a billion dollar industry actually that because of corruption, you know taxes are lost from our government that can be used for COVID response aid,” he explained in a mix of English and Filipino.
The PACC chairman revealed that among those who will face charges are an assistant secretary and a regional director. He did not name them yet nor mentioned which departments they are serving under.
Meanwhile, Belgica said they also recently formed a Task Force Lifestyle Check to look into the lifestyles of government officials. Right now, “several undersecretaries” are undergoing a lifestyle check.
“Nagpasyang buuin ang (We decided to form the) Task Force Lifestyle Check para dun po natin sila madadale (so we can catch them) if they have money and properties way beyond their SALN and means they can be held liable for unexplained wealth.”
Belgica added that the task force will strengthen the government’s anti-corruption drive, now in its “last phase” as President Duterte is on his last year in office.
He said the commission will focus on “high-value targets” such as presidential appointees “hanggang ngayon ayaw parin tumigil sa korapsyon (who, until now, don’t like to stop being corrupt.”
They are going to work with the Land Transportation Office (LTO), Land Registration Authority (LRA), Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and other relevant government agencies that hold public records of assets.