PACC backs Go in war vs crime, corruption

THE Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) on Wednesday  expressed its support to Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go after the lawmaker accepted President Rodrigo Duterte’s challenge to use the Senate forum to expose “wrongdoings” and “criminality” in government.

PACC head Dante Jimenez, who is also co-chairman of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs, welcomed Go’s commitment to the President’ s all-out war against crime and corruption as “a very timely decision to play a major role” in the campaign.

“We will need all the muscle to fight these formidable ‘viruses’ in the forms of crime, corruption and illegal drugs, which still persist and continue to victimize our people, especially the poor,” Jimenez said in a statement.

In his public address on Monday night, President Duterte reminded Go that he could always use the forum in the Senate to “expose wrongdoings” and “expose criminality.”        

In responde, Go, chairman of the Senate health and demography committee, said he would not let the President down in his mandate as a senator to expose any irregularity in government and other crimes in the country.    

“Hindi po natin bibiguin ang nais ni Pangulong Duterte na gamitin natin ang aking mandato bilang isang senador para i-expose ang anumang uri ng katiwalian sa gobyerno o kriminalidad sa ating bansa (We will not let the President down to use our mandate as a senator to expose any irregularities or criminality in our country),” Go said in a statement.

“Sa mga kasamahan ko sa gobyerno, kahit magka-alyado tayo, basta may mali, magsasalita po ako. Umabot na sa punto na sinabihan ako ng Pangulo na ‘to ‘talk like an opposition’ kapag corruption na ang pinag-uusapan (To my colleagues in government, even though we are allies, if there are wrongdoings, I will speak out. It came to a point that the President told me to ‘talk like an opposition’ when it comes to corruption),” he added.

Go issued the statement as the Senate Committee of the Whole continued its in-person and virtual public hearing on alleged widespread corruption at the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).

“Naniniwala akong meron pa naman diyan na gusto talagang magsilbi with all honesty and integrity kaya hindi ako nawawalan ng pag-asa. Kailangan lang talaga ng mabisang gamot na tatalab talaga upang tuluyang matanggal ang korapsyon sa ating sistema (I believe that many are serving with all honesty and integrity that is why I am not giving up hope. We need a good drug that would totally remove corruption in the system),” the senator said.    

Meanwhile, Jimenez said that that “time is of the essence, as the government needs to make the most of the remaining two years after the President’s term ends in 2022.”

“I will suggest to the President to ask Congress to create a law transforming the PACC into an independent agency similar to the Commission on Audit (COA) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in order to give the Commission more teeth and resources in fighting corruption in government. The bill can be drafted through Sen. Go’s office,” he said.

Jimenez, founding chairman of the Volunteers against Crime and Corruption, said it was about time that “government agencies close ranks if it aims to win the war against lawlessness and corruption” amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“With lesser resources due to this crisis, the fight has become more difficult. We need everyone’s total commitment and cooperation in the ‘whole-of-nation’ approach in fulfilling the Duterte Administration’s program of change in the country,” he added. 

Source: TheManila Times