GCG reviewing GOCCs to be recommended for abolition, privatization

The Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG) is conducting a review of government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) which could be recommended for abolition or privatization in line with the bureaucratic right-sizing agenda of the Marcos administration.

"The Governance Commission continues to study GOCCs that may be recommended for abolition, privatization, merger, or streamlining,” GCG Chairperson Alex Quiroz said at a press briefing in Makati City on Friday.

Quiroz said the review of GOCCs is in line with President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s directive of right-sizing of the government.

Asked how many GOCCs might be recommended for abolition, the GCG chairman said, "At this time it will be premature for me because we are evaluating."

However, he said that if "a GOCC have been committing so many red flags [in terms] performance, we will be starting to look into it."

The GCG chairman noted that the agency can only recommend "subject to approval of the Office of the President."

For her part, GCG Commissioner Geraldine Marie Berberabe-Martinez said GOCCs that may be recommended for abolition are those, for example, with comprehensive net loss for consecutive years.

"We will also look into the relevance of that GOCC," Martinez said.

Quiroz also said that he initiated dialogues with GOCCs to resolve Compensation and Position Classification System (CPCS) concerns. In its first month, the new Commission already met with 29 out of 37 GOCCs with pending appeals.

"In the few months that we have been here, we foresee challenges that lie ahead, especially as the CPCS is now in its implementation stage and will be up for review next year," he said.

"Moving forward, we will continue to engage and collaborate with the GOCCs and other stakeholders to ensure that we efficiently address the concerns that they have elevated to us,” he added.

Likewise, the GCG chairman said the agency’s new Anti-Corruption and Integrity Program aligns with the transparency agenda of the administration as it aims to safeguard P10 trillion in total assets of the GOCC sector and prevent the dissipation and wastage of public funds arising from corruption.  —KBK, GMA Integrated News