PIA chief asks anticorruption body to probe charges

Harold E. Clavite, Secretary-general, Public Information Agency (PIA) speaks before the officers and members of the Cebu Citizens-Press Council (CCPC) headed by vice president Ben Dapat (seated right) during its 44th Quarterly meeting in Quest Hotel conference center.(CDN FILE PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

MANILA, Philippines — The chief of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) has asked the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission to look into the allegations of corruption being hurled against him.

PIA director general Harold Clavite called on the body to dig deeper into the allegations made in anonymous letters sent to his superior, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar.

“For transparency, I sent a request to the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission to look further and investigate me, as necessary,” Clavite said in a Facebook post, adding that he was also open to a probe by the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO).

He said he already responded to the allegations made in letters sent to Andanar last month.

Clavite added that he sent his reply to the PCOO informing them that he would conduct an inquiry into the PIA.

Last month, the PCOO received anonymous letters against Clavite, which included the supposed splitting of a contract for the purchase of “ASEAN Komiks,” the misuse of funds for hotel accommodations, the irregularities in the production of information materials for the Employees’ Compensation Commission, and the irregularities in the airing of a government promotional material called “Like Pinas.”

In his Facebook post on Sunday, Clavite accused a presidential appointee in the PIA of being behind the allegations against him.

“These PIA instigators have names, too, and I’ll share them as soon as criminal and administrative cases are finalized. Some of them are part of my own management team,” he said.