Task force on corruption sets parameters for gov’t-wide probe

Guevarra clarified that the DOJ’s findings on its graft investigations are not merely recommendatory but the initiation of criminal charges. (PNA file photo)

MANILA – The inter-agency task force that would look into allegations of corruption in government would prioritize five agencies in its investigation and have set parameters to determine which allegations would be considered, an official of the Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Friday.

In a press statement, DOJ spokesperson Undersecretary Emmeline Aglipay-Villar said the probe will look into “amounts involved (in the agency to be investigated), the rank of the persons involved, and the impact on delivery of services to the public”.

A minimum threshold of PHP1 billion in public funds involved will be one of the parameters, Villar said.

She added that while no particular transaction has been identified, the investigations would also include anomalous government procurement as well as transactions entered into by government agencies with private entities.

In the list are allegations of irregularities in the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Bureau of Customs (BOC), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), and the Land Registration Authority (LRA).

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Wednesday said President Rodrigo Duterte’s orders for his agency to go after perpetrators of corruption in government will mean twin goals — prosecuting offenders and preventing corruption in the bureaucracy.

Guevarra clarified that the DOJ’s findings on its graft investigations are not merely recommendatory but the initiation of criminal charges.

Guevarra met with senior DOJ officials, including Prosecutor General Benedicto A. Malcontento and NBI officer-in-charge (OIC)-director Eric B. Distor on Tuesday to discuss the organization of the task force to investigate allegations of corruption in the bureaucracy.

It was agreed during the meeting that the core group constituted for the task force to investigate allegations of corruption in the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) would be the same core group to investigate allegations of corruption in the government.

The core group, headed by the DOJ, is composed of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), Office of the Special Assistant to the President (OSAP), National Prosecution Service (NPS), and the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).

The task force shall also invite the Commission on Audit (COA), the Civil Service Commission (CSC), and the Office of the Ombudsman to work together with the Task Force, with due consideration of their independence as constitutional bodies.