Gordon: Abolish PCGG? Give it more budget, create oversight body instead

Instead of abolishing the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), Senator Richard Gordon believes the agency should be strengthened by giving it sufficient budget and that a committee should be created to monitor its activities.

“Ang nakikita ko lang sa PCGG matagal masyado pero nakakabawi naman tayo ng konting pera. Pero kung bibigyan mo sila ng suporta sa budget at i-limit mo yung kanilang time para mabawi na lahat ng kailangan niyang bawiin aabot yan. Mas mabilis yan,” Goron said in a press statement Saturday.

Gordon chairs the Senate committee on government corporations and public enterprises which hears the bills seeking to strengthen the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) by, among other things, abolishing the PCGG and the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC).

The powers and functions of the PCGG and the OGCC will then be transferred to the OSG.

The senator expressed reservation about integrating PCGG and OGCC with the OSG since questions on conflict of interest have been raised.

“No, I don’t think PCGG will be abolished. Noong una, we were going to see kung pwedeng pagsama-samahin (yung tatlong offices) pero mukhang hindi pe-pwede e. Pero we will still await for the recommendations of SolGen Calida on conflict of interest. Kasi lahat sila, except him, nagsasabi may conflict of interest,” he said.

Gordon said integrating the OGCC with the OSG would not serve any purpose because the former is focused on corporate matters. On the other hand, transferring the PCGG to the OSG would only impede the former’s operations.

“Pagsasamahin mo iyan, maraming mawawalan ng trabaho, maglalagay ka pa ng provision para sa separation pay, retirement pay. Maraming maraming tatamaan. Hindi makakatipid,” he said.

“Dapat i-fill up ng OSG yung 128 positions na vacant at gamitin nila ang mga abugadong nandun. Ito, justice ang hinahawakan nito e. That is a very important agency. Kaya kailangan ang kukunin mo e ang the best at saka mabibilis,” he said. — MDM, GMA News