Good riddance

Signed on Nov. 15 but released only yesterday, Executive Order No. 13 has abolished the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC) as part of the Aquino government’s streamlining efforts. Regardless of the reasons behind the issuance of the order, I deem it most welcome.

I remember years ago when the PAGC was created and then headed by the very able Constancia De Guzman. It was a promising agency tasked to investigate, adjudicate and recommend sanctions for government officials and personnel involved in graft and corruption.

I visited the agency at least twice to get facts for some story I was assigned to write many years back. There, I encountered a long list of cases being handled by PAGC. The agency was serious in going after grafters. So I thought.

The problem came when its very creator, then President Arroyo, got entangled with a series of allegations of graft. As the charges grew, PAGC began to lose its luster. Its powers were no match to those of the one holding the highest post in the land. Suddenly, PAGC was rendered inutile.

From the frontline in the fight against graft, it slowly moved to the backseat until nothing was heard about it for a long while. It became incognito. In fact, the only time I heard of it again was yesterday, when the issuance of the EO formalizing its abolition was announced by Malacanang.

My only concern is for the people who make up the agency. I guess the Aquino administration has put in place enough safety nets to cushion the impact of the abolition on PAGC workers.

There are at least nine other agencies that are up for dissolution, including the equally inutile Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group whose former officials failed to curb the high incidence of smuggling but successfully enriched themselves.

Apart from PAGC and PASG, to be abolished are the following: Mindanao Development Council; Office of the North Luzon Quadrangle Area; Office of External Affairs; Minerals Development Council; Luzon Urban Beltway Super Region; Bicol River Basin Watershed Management Project; Office of the Presidential Adviser on Global Warming and Climate Change, and Office of the Presidential Adviser on New Government Centers.

By abolition means the present administration find no use for these agencies which, according to critics, were created by the previous administration to accommodate those whom it was indebted.

Executive Secretary Paquito “Jojo” Ochoa said prior to the formal dissolution of these agencies, the Palace has decided not to allocate even a single centavo for them. Clearly, these “useless” agencies have no place in the Aquino government.

Their redundant functions and powers are better off assigned to just one office such as the Office of the President. That way, P.Noy will have direct access and supervision over the doings of his people.

His Tuwid na Landas is now working and we should give it a chance. If by any chance it failed, there will be nobody else to blame but the President himself.