Mega task force vs. corruption probe to focus on ‘big fish’ —DOJ 

The inter-agency body led by the Department of Justice (DOJ) tasked to investigate corruption in the entire bureaucracy will concentrate its probe on allegations involving top government officials, more than a billion pesos worth of alleged stolen funds, and key agencies offering crucial public services.

In an interview on Dobol sa News TV, Justice Undersecretary Emmeline Aglipay-Villar said the “mega task force’s” core group is already formulating the mechanism on how it will conduct investigation in every agency.

Aglipay-Villar said strike teams will be formed to focus on each agency being investigated.

“May separate teams na tutok sa bawat ahensiya... Sabay-sabay na mag-iimbestiga ang mga strike teams na ‘yun,” she said.

The DOJ spokesperson said the task force will filter tips, complaints, and allegations of corruption and will particularly focus on “big fish” cases.

“Kailangan tignan ang extent, kung gaano kalala at titignan ang halaga ng nakuha sa kaban ng bayan,” Aglipay-Villar said.

“Napag-usapan na siguro ang amount na puwedeng tingnan ay P1 billion o mahigit pero kahit na mas konti doon kung ang involved na kawani ay nasa matataas na position o kung ‘di naman kaya ang services na involved ay malaki ang impact sa publiko tulad ng PhilHealth na ngayong pandemiya na ito,” she noted.

No ‘sacred cows’

Despite President Rodrigo Duterte’s remarks that he has full trust and confidence in Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and Public Works Secretary Mark Villar amid allegations of corruption hounding their respective agencies, the DOJ official reiterated that no one will be exempted from the task force’s probe.

“Siya [Duterte] po ay may tiwala... Full trust and confidence kay Secretary Duque at Villar pero ‘di naman po niya inabsuwelto,” she said.

“Kahit sinong secretary at sinong opisyal ng gobyerno ay kailangan kasuhan kung may mahahanap na ebidensiya sa imbestigasyon,” she added.

Aglipay-Villar, who is the wife of Public Works chief Villar, also stressed that she is not involved in the task force and only functions as spokesperson to address any issues of conflict of interest.

“Hindi po ako kasama sa investigating panel. Tagapagsalita lang po ako,” she said. “Hindi po ako kasama sa imbestigasyon.”

This week, Duterte issued a memorandum ordering Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra to expand the role of the task force that investigated alleged corruption in the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to include the entire bureaucracy.

Apart from the DOJ, the task force is comprised of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the Office of the Special Assistant to the President (OSAP), the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), the National Prosecution Service (NPS), the DOJ Office of Cybercrime (OOC), and the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).

“Ang task force na ito, ito ay isang inter-agency na task force so nagsanib-sanib ng puwersa ang iba’t ibang ahensya para puksain ang kurapsyon,” Aglipay-Villar said. 

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Tuesday said Duterte's order for him to investigate corruption in the entire Philippine government is the "toughest" assignment he has received from the chief executive. —KG, GMA News