Special teams to investigate complaints of corruption

The anticorruption task force led by the Department of Justice (DOJ) will start fielding special investigating teams next week to look into the complaints regarding alleged misuse of public funds, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said on Friday.

“All complaints so far received by the task force … secretariat are now being screened and evaluated,” Guevarra told the Inquirer.

“I will call a meeting of the main task force next week to identify which of these complaints will be the subject of special investigating teams,” he said.

Guevarra, however, declined to disclose if the Task Force Against Corruption had already received complaints against lawmakers allegedly involved in corruption since they were still processing all the reports forwarded to their operations center.

President Duterte had earlier said that he had “no business” ordering the investigation of any legislator after the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission revealed that at least 12 members of the House of Representatives had received kickbacks from private contractors.

This was a 180-degree turn from President Duterte’s verbal tirades against his most vocal critic, detained Sen. Leila de Lima, whose indictment for drug trafficking was precipitated by his allegations linking her to the illegal drug trade during her time as justice secretary of the Aquino administration.

Guevarra clarified that the President’s remarks only pertained to the administrative offenses, but not to the possible criminal liabilities of lawmakers.

He reiterated that all government officials, including members of Congress, would be covered by the sweeping anticorruption campaign that Mr. Duterte himself had ordered Guevarra and the DOJ to lead until the end of his six-year term in 2022.