PCGG has 2 yrs. to finish task vs ill-gotten wealth

The Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), the agency tasked to go after the ill-gotten wealth of people associated with the Marcos regime, now has two years to wind up its task before it is abolished. Thus, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. urged PCGG officials and employees to work double time and finish its task. "Obviously, the unfinished task looms large before us. And the commission, through your chairman Andy Bautista, wants to finish this task in two years' time. This means double time for the commissioners and for all of you here at PCGG," Ochoa said in his speech during the PCGG’s 25th anniversary Tuesday, which Malacañang released Wednesday. PCGG chairman Andres Bautista had told President Benigno Aquino III in a letter saying the PCGG has nearly completed the proposal to abolish the agency in two years. "The transfers and ‘winding down’ efforts shall be completed and satisfactorily accomplished within a period of two years upon the approval of the said legislative measure," Bautista said in his letter to the President. He added that "the investigation and prosecution of cases presently being handled by and for the commission shall be transferred to the [Department of Justice]." The PCGG was established by the late President Corazon Aquino, mother of incumbent President Aquino, at the start of her term in 1986 to recover wealth illegally-acquired by the Marcoses and their cronies, then estimated at $10 billion. It was created through Executive Order No. 1, issued on Feb. 28, 1986. Fair warning to public officials In his speech, Ochoa rallied the commission not to waver on its stand against stolen money, saying it was a fair warning to public officials and employees that offenders will be unmasked, their loot taken away, and their social standing in government stained forever. “With this approach, we will surely make inroads in eliminating corruption in our bureaucracy. This must be one effective deterrent against corruption," the executive secretary said. This will only materialize if investigation was thorough and cases were “water-tight in evidence and arguments," he added. By fulfilling its mandate, Ochoa said the “PCGG will be needed more than ever. It shall have proven to everyone that it has not outlived its usefulness." He further said the PCGG must pitch in to restore integrity and honesty in all transactions of government. “This is now the present and compelling challenge faced by our government and our anti-corruption agencies like the PCGG. We must investigate thoroughly, punish those who have raided the country’s treasury and effect a ‘climate change’ in government — from a graft-ridden regime in the past to an integrity-driven government today and tomorrow," Ochoa said. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima earlier said Congress may have to pass a law to abolish the commission because an executive order (EO) may not suffice. "The EO executed by then President Aquino didn't require a law because she had lawmaking powers, but it's different now. Baka malabo kung EO lang. Dapat may law (It may be unclear with only an EO. There should be a law)," De Lima said. — VS, GMA News