VACC wants heads of other underperforming agencies to resign too
Arsenio Evangelista —VOLUNTEERS AGAINST CRIME AND CORRUPTION
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MANILA, Philippines — “Why just the Cabinet secretaries?”
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s order to all Cabinet secretaries to submit their resignations should also cover the heads of other underperforming government agencies and corporations, the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) said on Friday.
In a statement, the VACC particularly mentioned the agencies and corporations as Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor), Bureau of Customs (BOC), Bureau of Immigration (BI), and Philippine National Police (PNP), saying that its heads should also submit a courtesy resignation immediately and “allow the President to realign the government to fulfill its mandate to the people.”
READ: Marcos orders courtesy resignation of all Cabinet secretaries
“Why is it only Cabinet secretaries being asked to step down? Heads of agencies like PCSO and Pagcor should also be included, as they waste public funds on activities that bring no real benefit to the Filipino people,” Arsenio “Boy” Evangelista, VACC president, said in Filipino.
Other gov’t agencies
Evangelista mentioned the recent Senate inquiry over alleged corruption within the PCSO and questioned the legitimacy of the jackpot winners of the state lotteries, saying that “PCSO insiders had manipulated or rigged the results to favor certain persons.”
“Several lawmakers previously called on the state lottery firm’s General Manager, Melquiades ‘Mel’ Robles, to resign for allowing online lotteries to proceed without explicit approval from President Marcos,” the VACC said.
READ: Multiple wins in single month? Tulfo questions another PCSO incident
Evangelista also said that their anti-crime group agrees with the previous statement of solons that the PCSO has “failed to protect the young, especially children, from the agency’s e-lotto or online lotto project.”
Aside from this, the VACC also noted the controversial killing of former PCSO board secretary Wesley Barayuga in 2020.
READ: NBI also reopens 2020 Barayuga murder case
The VACC, meanwhile, criticized Pagcor for allegedly allowing Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) to run, especially under the tenure of its current chairman Alejandro Tengco.
“Several government officials have been linked to facilitating deals for Pogos, which have also gained a reputation as online scam hubs that affect millions of Filipinos,” VACC said.
Evangelista likewise said that BOC, under the Department of Finance, as well as the BI, under the Department of Justice, “have their own laundry list of controversies that remain unresolved until now.”
As for the PNP, the VACC leader said that its current chief Gen. Rommel Marbil should submit a courtesy resignation, noting what happened to Filipino-Chinese businessman Anson Que Tan who was abducted and eventually killed even after his family reportedly paid millions of ransoms for his release.
On Thursday, Marcos called on all of his Cabinet secretaries to file their courtesy resignations, saying that his goal is to realign his administration “with the people’s expectations” following the 2025 midterm elections. /jpv
