Given my observations above, I have come to the conclusion that we need an independent and impartial fact-finding body, a truth commission in fact, that will have the principal duty of uncovering the facts behind the PDAF and Malampaya corruption scams, and laying them out for the public to understand and make judgments. Such body, preferably created through legislation, shall be composed of individuals with reputations of high moral integrity and probity – chaired by a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (Reynato Puno, Artemio Panganiban, or Hilario Davide are excellent for this role) - and have authority to issue subpoenas for documents and witnesses. It may also recommend to the Ombudsman who could be given immunity as a state witness.The commission should also be mandated to give policy recommendations to Congress, the President, and the relevant independent constitutional commissions (the Civil Service Commission and the Commission on Audit) so that Napoles-like schemes will never again be resurrected in our governance system.Finally, the commission shall be mandated to work with the Ombudsman on the prosecution of criminal complaints against those persons where the evidence warrants the filing of cases. The law creating it should authorize the Ombudsman to deputize the commission to prosecute the PDAF and Malampaya cases with oversight retained by her.
Posted on: Wed, 04 Jun 2014 08:24:14 +0000
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