PACC exec Belgica: My example of ‘insignificant gift’ taken out of context

Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) member Greco Belgica on Tuesday said that his example of P100,000 being an insignificant gift for government employees was not intended to justify bribery or corruption but was merely "twisted" by a media outlet.

"My statement was clearly taken out of context and was specifically worded in such a way that would draw intrigue at the expense of my name," Belgica said in a statement, as he referred to a Philippine Star news article with the title 'PACC: P100k 'insignificant gift.'

"The law does not define what is nominal and insignificant. Hence, my statement. I would like to make it clear that my only intention is to point out what the law provides and not to justify bribery or corruption," he added.

Belgica explained that the P100,000 he mentioned was only applicable to the example he gave in explaining the matter.

In a One News interview on Friday, he 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 had said.

Further, the commissioner underscored that his opinion was not directly that of the PACC.

"It is important to note that during the said interview, I pointed out that my explanation was based on my personal opinion and is not the official position of the PACC. It is unfair and irresponsible on the part of the Philippine Star to drag the name of the PACC," he said.

Belgica said that if anything positive can be drawn from the incident, it was that it spurred intellectual discourse which may lead to the amendment of existing law to address the vagueness on what should be considered significant or not.

The discussion stemmed from the statement of President Rodrigo Duterte that police officers may accept gifts from generous and thankful benefactors. —LDF, GMA News