Senate probers would rather wait for Senator Emmanuel Pacquiao to return from his August 21 boxing bout in the United States before opening any inquiry into Pacquiao’s allegations of corruption under the Duterte administration that the boxer-senator lodged against four agencies.
This, even as Senator Richard J. Gordon, chairman of the investigating Blue Ribbon Committee, assured that senators sitting in the probe panel are ready to mount an investigation into alleged anomalies at the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of Energy (DOE).
Gordon admitted he found it awkward, “if not irregular” for his committee to start the inquiry without Pacquiao, the main accuser.
He, however, assured the awaited Blue Ribbon inquiry in aid of crafting remedial legislation, will be convened soon as the senator-boxer comes home to enable the accuser to supply additional evidence to back up his initial allegations of anomalies at the four major departments.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, meanwhile, said the Department of Justice-Task Force Against Corruption (DOJ-TFAC) is ready to receive any complaint from Pacquiao with regard to his claim of various corruption activities involving several departments of the government.
In a text message to reporters, Guevarra also stressed that Pacquiao may bring his complaint directly to the Ombudsman if he believes he has enough evidence or to the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC).
“I’m sure Sen. Pacquiao knows his options. If he has sufficient evidence on hand, he may cause the filing of anti-graft charges directly with the Ombudsman or the DOJ,” Guevarra said.
“If he thinks that further investigation is necessary, he may refer the matter to the PACC [if presidential appointees are involved] or to the TFAC [for all others],” the DOJ chief added.
Guevarra also indicated that the TFAC would be willing to investigate any corruption allegations, regardless of the intention of the complainant.
Gordon added that senators sitting in the probe panel are also keen to dig deeper into the anomaly raised by Pacquiao, indicating readiness to expand the inquiry to cover other agencies also alleged to be graft-ridden, even as they need to wait for Pacquiao to return from his latest boxing bout set to take place in Las Vegas.
According to Gordon , the Blue Ribbon Committee, on its own, is empowered to mount an inquiry into government anomalies, even without a plenary referral, such as reported irregularities.
But Gordon said he would find it “awkward, if not irregular,’’ when an accuser who threw the charges against erring officials linked to government anomalies would not appear at the inquiry.
For his part, Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon affirmed that under the Senate Rules, only the Blue Ribbon Committee, chaired by Gordon, is empowered to embark on an inquiry “motu propio” (on its own) even without a resolution calling for a Senate investigation.
Drilon, however, observed that for practical reasons, it was natural for Gordon to hesitate opening the inquiry into the allegations of irregularities raised by Pacquiao against the four departments in absence of the accuser (Pacquiao) to present evidence needed to back up the charges.