PACC’s Belgica says group’s graft complaint a ‘fabrication’

MANILA, Philippines—Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) Commissioner Greco Belgica has dismissed as “baseless” and a mere “fabrication” the graft complaint filed against him over the alleged unlawful use of his office’s resources by participating in a raid against Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) officials.

In her nine-page affidavit before the Office of the Ombudsman, Kilusang Pagbabago chair Monalie Dizon accused Belgica of defying PACC rules by acting on this own and joining an entrapment operation against two BIR employees who were allegedly about to receive bribe money.

Dizon also claimed that during the raid, the PACC official even took possession of a firearm and acted as if he was going to shoot the suspects with the PACC’s authority.

In a statement Tuesday evening, Belgica said the complaint is part of a demolition job against him for supposedly refusing to comply with Dizon’s unlawful requests.

“She was persuading and influencing me to decide and perform an act on her favor in connection with an on-going investigation we were conducting. Knowing that such acts are illegal, I refused to comply,” Belgica said.
“A few months thereafter, I was informed that Ms. Dizon’s group was plotting a demolition job against me. I was able to secure an audio recording evidencing the said plot,” he added.
Belgica accused Dizon of targeting high-ranking government officials who do not give in to her demands through different social media platforms and consequently file weak and baseless cases against them.
“Clearly, this is part of an ongoing demolition job against me by syndicates and corrupt government officials we have charged and arrested,” the official said.

“Nevertheless, I will answer all these baseless and fabricated allegations and present the aforesaid audio recording in the proper time and venue,” he added.

Belgica, who was  appointed by Duterte to the PACC last January 2018, also claimed that Dizon’s group is “associated with terrorist groups.”

“For the information of everyone, the splinter group of the Kilusang Pagbabago was organized by Ms. Monalie Dizon. The said group is allegedly associated with terrorist groups and is no longer connected with the original KP who supported the President,” he said.