EDITORIAL - Another anti-graft body

The Department of Justice has a task force against corruption. There is a Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission. Last Friday, the PACC formed yet another group against graft.

Called the National Anti-Corruption Coordinating Council, the PACC said the inter-agency body would bring the campaign against graft to the lowest levels of government. During its virtual launch, over 40 agencies of the executive branch signed the memorandum of agreement creating the council, which would be chaired by President Duterte himself.

There are already two agencies whose mandate is to go after the corrupt and ensure the proper utilization of public funds. One is the Office of the Ombudsman, whose cases are forwarded to a special anti-corruption court, the Sandiganbayan. On its own initiative or motu proprio, the ombudsman can conduct an anti-corruption probe.

The other agency is the Commission on Audit. As stipulated in the Constitution, COA auditors have jurisdiction over all state agencies and even government-owned and controlled corporations.

Complementing the anti-corruption agencies is Congress. As a co-equal branch of government, the legislature exercises oversight functions over the executive including its expenditures.

Any administration that claims to give priority to the difficult battle against corruption should be supportive of the work of state auditors, and show respect for the system of checks and balances among the three branches of government.

Instead President Duterte has railed against the COA, threatened to prevent his Cabinet members from facing a Senate probe on “deficiencies” flagged by the auditors in pandemic fund utilization by the Department of Health, and even vowed to act as chief government auditor in case he is elected vice president in 2022.

Amid the Senate inquiry, which has linked a former presidential economic adviser to possibly irregular multibillion-peso contracts for the supply of face shields, masks and personal protective equipment, the PACC formed the National Anti-Corruption Coordinating Council.

While any effort to fight corruption is welcome, cooperation in the Senate probe on COVID fund utilization would be much better, especially since the nation is now up to its neck in debt to finance the pandemic response. If the procurements are truly aboveboard, there is no reason for any of the personalities to fear questioning by senators. The personalities should even welcome the opportunity to clear their names. Continued stonewalling makes the creation of yet another anti-corruption body look like feeble posturing.