Gonzalez: PCGG will run 'smoothly' under DOJ
08/08/2007 | 07:28 PM
Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez on Wednesday confirmed the transfer of the Presidential Commission on Good Government to the Department of Justice as an attached agency tasked to recover billions of pesos supposedly taken by the late dictator, Ferdinand Marcos and his cronies.
In an interview at his residence in Valle Verde, Pasig City, where he has been recuperating since being confined at undisclosed hospital for bleeding ulcers, Gonzalez denied that the PCGG's transfer of management had something to do with any alleged deals entered by the government with the Marcoses.
"The PCGG becomes an agency attached to [DOJ]. Well I have general supervision over it. Whenever we think that what they do is not proper, we can check," he said.
The transfer of the PCGG to DOJ was embodied in an executive order signed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo last month.
Calling himself the new "terrorist" of the PCGG, Gonzalez said he is set to meet with officials of the PCGG on Friday, upon orders of Mrs Arroyo to supervise and clean up the commission.
However, he did not confirm that the transfer has to do with the failure of the PCGG to regain whatever state wealth was stolen from its coffers.
"We will go back to that and find out what happened, whether there were shenanigans that took place. Past na yan e. First I will lay down my policy, tell them we may look at the situation. Ask for their cooperation, tell them in clear lines what I want," he said.
He said he will immediately order an inventory of all cases, including those that have already been resolved by the courts and those wherein the government lost, and subject them to a review.
"We want PCGG to move in accordance with the mandate laid down in the Constitution, which was to be able to sequester and recover all the Marcos wealth," Gonzalez said.
“We want to assure the President that when she gave me this job, I'll give it my best shot," he added.
He said that running the agency smoothly would only need the right people.
Asked if he was referring to a complete overhaul of the PCGG, Gonzalez declined to say.
"Let’s start by small steps."
In junking allegations that the government has already cozied up with the Marcoses, Gonzalez said: "They'll be flabbergasted. There should be no compromise deals, but compromise deals that are reasonable, maybe we can entertain."
"Under the rules of court and judicial process, you can compromise. In other words, we want to collect P200 million, there's a guy offering P150-million. You wait for the P200 million and litigate for another five years? I'll just accept the P150 (million). That's the practical side of it. It has to be consensual, it’s something which has to be agreed by members of the board, something I consider to be reasonable. I always have a little power in these things," he said. - GMANews.TV
In an interview at his residence in Valle Verde, Pasig City, where he has been recuperating since being confined at undisclosed hospital for bleeding ulcers, Gonzalez denied that the PCGG's transfer of management had something to do with any alleged deals entered by the government with the Marcoses.
"The PCGG becomes an agency attached to [DOJ]. Well I have general supervision over it. Whenever we think that what they do is not proper, we can check," he said.
The transfer of the PCGG to DOJ was embodied in an executive order signed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo last month.
Calling himself the new "terrorist" of the PCGG, Gonzalez said he is set to meet with officials of the PCGG on Friday, upon orders of Mrs Arroyo to supervise and clean up the commission.
However, he did not confirm that the transfer has to do with the failure of the PCGG to regain whatever state wealth was stolen from its coffers.
"We will go back to that and find out what happened, whether there were shenanigans that took place. Past na yan e. First I will lay down my policy, tell them we may look at the situation. Ask for their cooperation, tell them in clear lines what I want," he said.
He said he will immediately order an inventory of all cases, including those that have already been resolved by the courts and those wherein the government lost, and subject them to a review.
"We want PCGG to move in accordance with the mandate laid down in the Constitution, which was to be able to sequester and recover all the Marcos wealth," Gonzalez said.
“We want to assure the President that when she gave me this job, I'll give it my best shot," he added.
He said that running the agency smoothly would only need the right people.
Asked if he was referring to a complete overhaul of the PCGG, Gonzalez declined to say.
"Let’s start by small steps."
In junking allegations that the government has already cozied up with the Marcoses, Gonzalez said: "They'll be flabbergasted. There should be no compromise deals, but compromise deals that are reasonable, maybe we can entertain."
"Under the rules of court and judicial process, you can compromise. In other words, we want to collect P200 million, there's a guy offering P150-million. You wait for the P200 million and litigate for another five years? I'll just accept the P150 (million). That's the practical side of it. It has to be consensual, it’s something which has to be agreed by members of the board, something I consider to be reasonable. I always have a little power in these things," he said. - GMANews.TV
