JUSTICE Secretary Menardo Guevarra has disclosed that the Task Force Against Corruption (TFAC) has so far received 208 complaints but only 148 of these are being considered as “possible” corruption cases.
The 148 complaints, according to Guevarra, involve officials of national government agencies, government-owned and controlled corporations and local government units (LGUs).
Guevarra noted that out of the 148 complaints, the task force will be elevating one complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman on Tuesday.
“The complaints allege violations of the anti-graft law, procurement law, COA (Commission on Audit) rules, and social amelioration programs, overpricing, ghost projects, unfinished projects, kickbacks and commissions, bribery, extortion, smuggling, fake land titles, falsified free patents, and other fraudulent, corrupt or illegal acts committed by public officials and private persons alike,” Guevarra said.
Out of the 148 complaints, the DOJ chief said 69 have been evaluated or are currently being evaluated.
On other hand, 40 complaints have been either referred to other member agencies of the task force for comment, further investigation or case build-up.
The task force which was formed upon the directive of the President to look into reports of corruption activities in government offices since it convened last October.
Earlier, Guevarra disclosed that some of the complaints they received were related to Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) projects.
The DOJ-TFAC has already submitted a progress report to the President last December 28, 2020, but these were still in the stages of fact-finding and verification of allegations.
Among those being investigated by the DOJ-TFAC are the alleged massive corruption at the first district engineering office in Northern Samar; alleged ghost deliveries of rice and fuel in Capalonga, Camarines Norte; alleged anomalous procurement of heavy equipment and illegal disbursement of Bayanihan funds in Cateel, Davao Oriental; and alleged irregular bidding, bribery, and extortion at the third district engineering office in Cagayan.
Guevarra said the task force is also looking into the questionable construction of two bridges at the same location in General Santos City and anomalous projects mentioned by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism in its reports.
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