DANTE Jimenez, chairman of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) on Wednesday vowed to comply with President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive to spare no one in the campaign against corruption.
Jimenez, who took his oath as head of the PACC Tuesday along with other members of the commission, said even those who claimed to be close to the President will be investigated.
“The commission will spare no one and would pursue any possible leads that may result in possible expulsion from office,” Jimenez said in an interview. “The commission is answerable only to the President of the Philippines.
We will be his work force in compiling, evaluating, preparing possible complaints against all presidential appointees.”
While he admitted that a challenging task awaits the commission, the PACC will help the government get rid of corruption.
Jimenez was the founding chairman of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) that have been very active in helping victims of heinous crime and in fighting corruption in government.
The VACC was behind the filing of technical malversation cases against former president Benigno Aquino 3rd and former Budget secretary Florencio Abad in connection with the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) and the illegal-drugs charges against Sen. Leila de Lima.
In February, the VACC and the Vanguard of the Philippine Constitution filed criminal charges against Aquino and other members of his cabinet over the P3.5 billion Dengvaxia controversy.
Jimenez said as part of the preparations for the activation of the commission, the VACC organized an anti-corruption summit that brought together the private sector and the government to map out plans to confront corruption.
“The job is daunting. It is fraught with dangers. As the President has always said, ‘I cannot do it alone’. Indeed, it requires our common resolve and effort to fight and win against corruption,” Jimenez said in his speech during the oath-taking ceremony.
The PACC will investigate administrative cases against government personnel.