DOJ to form fact-finding body on AFP corruption

The Department of Justice will start collecting information and evidence on the alleged corruption in the Armed Forces of the Philippines even though retired Lt. Col. George Rabusa has yet to file his complaint-affidavit against those caught up in the controversy. On Friday, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said she will issue a department order on Monday creating a "fact-finding evaluation committee" that will gather information from the Senate and the House of Representatives which both probed the issue. De Lima said the committee will also gather information from the AFP and the Department of National Defense. "I am now activating the fact-finding evaluation committee ahead of the preliminary investigation panel for Col. Rabusa," she said in an interview with reporters. De Lima had earlier said the DOJ will be waiting for Rabusa's complaint-affidavit before starting its own investigation on the issue. But Rabusa, a former military budget officer who alleged that corruption was rampant among high-ranking military officials during his time, has repeatedly postponed the filing of his complaint-affidavit. "I understand that it's really an exhaustive complaint-affidavit kaya di matapos tapos (That's why it's taking so long to finish it)," De Lima said. Should the fact-finding committee acquire information not found in Rabusa's complaint-affidavit, the DOJ may start a separate preliminary investigation on it, De Lima said. Plunder complaints Last month, Rabusa said he will file plunder complaints against almost 20 individuals, including two former AFP chiefs of staff and two former military comptrollers. According to him, the respondents will include former AFP chiefs of staff Diomedio Villanueva and Roy Cimatu and former AFP comptrollers Jacinto Ligot and Carlos F. Garcia. Villanueva, Cimatu, Ligot, Garcia have all denied pocketing millions of pesos intended for the AFP. Rabusa, however, has yet to file his complaint. Last night, Ligot was placed under Senate custody. He and his wife were cited in contempt for allegedly lying to the panel about their health to justify their absence in a hearing held last Wednesday by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. Mrs. Ligot was not arrested for "humanitarian reasons" because of her health problems. — RSJ/MRT/JV, GMA News