PAGC defends sacking of investigator over release of ZTE docus

The Philippine Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC) has defended the sacking of a graft investigator who was looking into the controversy behind the Philippine government's deal with China's Zhong Xing Telecommunications Equipment (ZTE) Corp for the $239.48-million National Broadband Network project, radio dzBB reported Sunday. The report quoted a PAGC statement saying that Vida Zora Bocar violated Section 6 of Executive Order 531 when she released information to media about the ZTE deal, without authorization from PAGC Chair Constancia de Guzman. DzBB said Bocar e-mailed confidential information about the ZTE deal to journalist Jarius Bondoc, which became the subject of the latter's June 18 newspaper column. This, according to the report, prompted De Guzman to endorse a disciplinary action against Bocar before PAGC's administrative discipline committee, which gave due process to Bocar's case. The committee recommended the immediate termination of Bocar's employment with PAGC due to "breach of contract," dzBB said. PAGC reportedly said Bocar displayed ignorance of the law and disregarded the authority of her superiors. Bocar was supposed to work with the commission as graft investigation officer from June 1 to August 31, 2007, but her contract only lasted until June 22, after PAGC learned that Bocar provided information to Bondoc about the ZTE transaction. - GMANews