DOJ chief backs abolition of PCGG

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Tuesday said she supports the reported plan to abolish in two years the Presidential Commission on Good Government, the body mandated to recover alleged ill-gotten wealth amassed by members, friends, and cronies of the Marcos family. "We agree with the proposition that it's time for the PCGG to wind down, concentrate on completing its work, especially the sequestration cases, and the criminal cases," De Lima told reporters. The PCGG was established by the late President Corazon Aquino, the mother of incumbent President Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III, at the start of her presidency in 1986. It was created through Executive Order No. 1 issued on February 28, 1986. Since its creation, the PCGG has yet to retrieve all ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses. When the Marcos family, relatives, and close associates went into exile, it was estimated that the Marcoses reportedly accumulated some US$10 billion in hidden wealth, most of it widely believed to have been stolen from the national government. Informal estimates have it that $10 billion dollars in 1986 is currently worth $19.7 billion. Letter to PNoy Earlier, PCGG chair Andres Bautista reportedly wrote President Aquino a letter saying the PCGG has nearly completed the proposal to abolish the body 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 DOJ." Law to abolish PCGG On Tuesday, De Lima said Congress may have to pass a law to abolish the commission because an executive order to abolish it may not be sufficient. "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 (An EO may not suffice, we need a law)," said De Lima. — Sophia Dedace/RSJ, GMANews.TV