PACC exec says gov’t worker may take P100-k cash as gift; not so, says Palace

A P100,000 cash gift may be considered an insignificant amount and, as such, a token that government officials and employees may receive without violating the country's anti-graft laws, Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission member Greco Belgica said over the weekend.

Presidential spokesman Secretary Salvador Panelo said the amount may no longer be considered "nominal."

Asked if P100,000 can be considered an acceptable token for policemen, Panelo said, “One hundred thousand, eh 'di hindi na nominal value iyon.”

“Iyong one hundred thousand, specific incident iyong sinabi nung Mr. Belgica. Hindi naman sa lahat ng bagay. At saka para sa kaniya okay iyon," Panelo said.

"Pero gaya ng sinabi ko, ang hukuman pa rin ang final say kung ano ba iyong regalo mo – insignificant o nominal,” he added.

Panelo said the cost of a gift that may be considered a form of corruption was the call of the courts.

“Basta kami palagi kung ano ang sinasabi ng batas, iyon na iyon. And then, what a nominal or insignificant value is, that will depend on the courts," Panelo said.

"Kasi kapag nag-file ka, the court will decide whether insignificant o nominal iyong tinanggap mo o hindi,” he added.

“Common sense will tell us kung ano ang nominal sa insignificant. Kapag medyo sumobra doon sa common understanding, then ang court na ang magdi-decide noon kung may nag-file," Panelo said.

Belgica in a One News interview on Friday cited the case of an airport employee who was given P100,000 out of gratitude from an owner who lost a bag containing P1 million.

“Your insignificant amount may vary from other people that’s why I have been saying it’s a case-to-case basis,” Belgica said, adding that P100,000 may be insignificant since it was equivalent to a month's salary as a government official.

“As commissioner, I get it. That’s just my salary. So, for me, the P100,000, it’s just to get me by. It’s really not a significant amount to me because that’s how much I get paid a month," he added.

Belgica said he would not take the money if it was offered to him.

GMA News Online asked for clarification from Belgica on the statements he made in the television interview but he has yet to give one as of posting time.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Monday suggested that the Civil Service Commission set guidelines on the amounts of gifts government workers may be allowed to accept.

Despite existing laws, undefined values and differing circumstances and local customs create a gray area on what kinds of tokens public officers may accept, Guevarra said. —NB, GMA News