DoJ to aid prosecutors on drive vs. corruption

“Corruption, sad to say, I have to admit corruption is there because of the element of discretion,” Guevarra said during the government’s recently concluded Tatak ng Pagbabago Tatak ng Katatagan pre-State of the Nation Address (SONA) Forum. (PNA Photo)

MANILA — Government prosecutors who are stepping up the campaign against corruption will be provided with the necessary resources, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Wednesday.

“Corruption, sad to say, I have to admit na nandyan yan kasi may element of discretion (corruption is there because of the element of discretion),” Guevarra said during the government’s recently concluded Tatak ng Pagbabago Tatak ng Katatagan pre-State of the Nation Address (SONA) Forum.

“Our prosecutors engage in performing what we may call a quasi-judicial function so there’s an element of discretion and, whenever discretion is available, there’s always temptation,” he said.

To address the issue, Guevarra believes that there is a need to provide assistance and resources to state prosecutors.

Though allowed by the law, Guevarra said there are places where prosecutors get support and allowances from local government units, which is also an area of concern.

“Somehow meron konting element ng baka ma-compromise yung independence of our prosecutors (There is an element that the independence of prosecutors could be compromised),” Guevarra said.

“So we would like to provide as much resources as possible to our prosecution service so that the need for the reliance partly from the local government units can be entirely eliminated and so that our prosecutors can work and do their jobs very independently,” he said.

Guevarra also admitted that the shortage of prosecutors continuously hound the department.

“That’s our major problem, kulang ang mga prosecutors (there is a lack of prosecutors),” he said.

He said addressing the shortage of prosecutors will solve the need to expedite the resolution of criminal complaints currently undergoing preliminary investigation before the National Prosecution Service (NPS).

“We have submitted quite a huge number of prosecutors for appointment so we are hoping that their appointments will come very soon,” Guevarra said, referring to the list of applicants submitted for approval of Malacañang.

Despite the shortage personnel, Guevarra said the DOJ still needs “an improvement in the quality of the prosecutors whom we choose.”

“Therefore that means to say also improvement on the matter of selection and recruitment of prosecutors so that we get only the better ones,” he said.

Acting Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon said there 2,091 filled and 1,057 vacancies that need to be filled all over the country.

Earlier, Fadullon said they will focus all efforts towards professionalizing the NPS and increasing the efficiency of prosecutors.