PACC confirms corruption probe vs. 4 Cabinet secretaries

The Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) on Saturday confirmed that it had recommended investigations against four members of President Rodrigo Duterte's Cabinet.

“It was a confidential report we gave the President. Kung ano lang po ang natatangap namin, tinatrabaho namin and submit directly to the President. PRRD's instructions is no holy cow. Evidendence based lang po. Walang pilian,” PACC member and spokesperson Greco Belgica told GMA News Online.

Belgcia, however, declined to provide the names of the four Cabinet secretaries.

In a statement, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque clarified that it is still up to Duterte whether to adopt the PACC's findings.

"Let me be very clear: He (Belgica) doesn't speak for the Office of the President. What he has is a list of names that they apparently submitted to the President to be acted upon," Roque said.

He said he did not have the names of the four Cabinet secretaries and details of the PACC's investigations.

"Iyong sinasabi niyang apat na Gabinete, I have no information on that. That is their recommendation. That is not a decision already of the President," he added.

Last Wednesday, Roque revealed that Duterte was scheduled to fire an undersecretary.

This followed the resignations of Vitaliano Aguirre II as Justice secretary and Labor Undersecretary Dominador Say.

Duterte had repeatedly said that a "whiff of corruption" is reason enough for him to fire an official even those who are close to him. —Jamil Santos/ALG, GMA News