Pimentel belittles lifestyle checks

They may have the words, but they haven’t got the power to back up their talk.

Opposition Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. yesterday belittled the capability of the three-member Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC) to effectively conduct a lifestyle check on government officials as ordered by President Arroyo.

Pimentel said the President’s order for a lifestyle check "would go nowhere" unless the PAGC is backed by a capable enforcement machinery.

Headed by Dario Rama, the PAGC is tasked to look into the lifestyles of Cabinet secretaries, undersecretaries, bureau chiefs and executives of government corporations and financial institutions.

The PAGC’s original mandate was to investigate charges of corruption leveled against government officials.

Pimentel said the PAGC is not in a position to undertake the additional functions required by Mrs. Arroyo’s order for a lifestyle check of key government officials because of its limited capability.

He added that the PAGC is already "suffering from a job overload," and has only Rama, two commissioners, 49 employees, an annual budget of only P18 million for 2002, and "Malacañang has not bothered to augment (PAGC’s) budget for 2003."

"As it is, the PAGC under Chairman Rama could hardly cope with its heavy load of graft cases. I think the additional job for PAGC to look into the lifestyle of 5,000 government employees is more than they can chew," Pimentel said.

As a remedy, Pimentel suggested that the PAGC could tap the services of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in undertaking the President’s directive.

He added that the PAGC could also deputize the in-house Ombudsman or internal anti-corruption units in various government agencies in probing officials who are perceived to be living beyond their means and who have acquired unexplained wealth and properties.

Despite Pimentel’s opinion on the matter, other senators said they believe the President is sincere in her desire to put ranking government officials through a lifestyle check as a means to curb graft and corruption.

Senators Manuel Villar and Ramon Magsaysay Jr. said the PAGC should be given a chance to implement the President’s orders.

Villar said the lifestyle check could serve as a timely reminder for government officials that they should live simple lives and not flaunt their wealth in public.

Magsaysay said the lifestyle check should be part of the law that requires government officials to regularly submit their statements of assets and liabilities (SALs).

In another development, Pimentel urged Congress to go ahead and enact a law establishing a National Identification System (NIS), in light of Malacañang’s decision to jump the gun on the matter by implementing a pilot plan of the identification (ID) system using an executive order.

Pimentel said the Palace’s position, though backed by the National Security Council (NC), runs counter to a 1998 Supreme Court ruling that such a system cannot be implemented except through an act of Congress.

A Supreme Court ruling in 1998 voided Administrative Order 308 issued by then President Fidel Ramos prescribing a "national computerized identification reference system."

"In its haste to put in place a national identification system, the Palace set (out) to promulgate an executive order on the proposed NIS. But I’m afraid such (a) step would be in defiance of the Supreme Court ruling," Pimentel said, adding this would only set back the implementation of NIS.

Pimentel advised Mrs. Arroyo to seek the cooperation of Congress in devising and implementing an NIS that is acceptable to all and is responsive to the practical requirements of the country.

Pimentel filed Senate Bill 1889 in November 2001 seeking to establish an NIS to cover all citizens and aliens permanently residing in the country.