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BOC, BIR, DPWH, Philhealth and LRA among priority agencies of a Department of Justice (DOJ) probe on government-wide corruption
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Lawmakers, government officials will also be investigated for alleged involvement in corrupt practices
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DOJ will lead a task force formed to conduct the investigations until the end of the current administration’s term
Sister agencies Bureau of Customs (BOC) and Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) are among the identified priority agencies in a government-wide probe on corruption to be launched by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The three agencies, together with the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth) and the Land Registration Authority, are the priority agencies for investigation as they are “the usual suspects” in corrupt activities, DOJ Secretary Menardo Guevarra said in a recent radio interview.
Lawmakers and officials of government agencies will also be investigated over allegations of involvement in corrupt practices.
The investigation is pursuant to a memorandum dated October 27 and signed by President Rodrigo Duterte that authorizes DOJ to decide which allegations of corruption to investigate, taking into consideration the gravity and impact of corruption on the delivery of government services.
Duterte on October 27 also announced he has directed DOJ to investigate corruption in all government agencies, especially in DPWH, which he earlier described as ridden with irregularities.
The DOJ has been given the discretion to create as many panels as it needs to undertake the investigation, and to invite or direct other government bodies or agencies to provide assistance or join the panels.
Guevarra on October 27 met with DOJ officials and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) officer-in-charge director Eric Distor to discuss the organization of a task force to investigate corruption allegations as well as the methods and approaches for handling the investigation.
It was agreed at the same meeting that the core group constituted for the task force formed last August to investigate corruption in Philhealth will be the same group for the task force that will investigate government-wide corruption.
The core group is to be headed by the DOJ with members being NBI, Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission, Office of the Special Assistant to the President, National Prosecution Service, and the Anti-Money laundering Council.
The task force will invite the Commission on Audit, the Civil Service Commission, and the Office of the Ombudsman to work with it, with due consideration for their independence as constitutional bodies.
“We are hoping in the next couple of months we’ll be able to produce something as a sign that the task force is actually doing its job,” Guevarra said.
DOJ has been given until the end of the administration’s term in 2022 to conduct its investigation.
