Strengthen PAGC, senator urges GMA

Sen. Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan urged President Arroyo yesterday to provide the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PACG) with sufficient manpower and resources to make it more effective in fighting graft and corruption.

Honasan issued the call after PAGC Commissioner Dario Rama admitted the limited capabilities and personnel of his office to conduct lifestyle checks among presidential appointees as ordered by the President.

"The conduct of lifestyle checks on top government officials may have fatal self-inflicted limitations if the President would not provide PAGC with sufficient manpower and resources to do the job of removing erring officials efficiently," he warned.

Honasan pointed out that graft and corruption is "bleeding" the limited resources of the government. He cited the admission by the government that it lost an estimated P98 billion due to corruption last year alone.

He said that the administration must beef up the resources of PAGC to make it a more powerful agency against graft.

He contended that strengthening the manpower and resources of the PAGC would not result in a conflict with the Office of the Ombudsman.

"The work of the PAGC can complement the Ombudsman’s constitutionally mandated function of prosecuting corrupt government officials," Honasan maintained.

He added that the President can act more decisively once provided by the PAGC with substantial results of its lifestyle check by immediately firing presidential appointees pending the filing of charges against them before the Ombudsman. – Efren Danao