Sabio chides senators for pushing abolition of PCGG

MANILA, Philippines – Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) Chairman Camilo Sabio said yesterday that senators calling for the abolition of the agency should consider their proposal “very carefully and “wisely.”

Sabio also denied allegations by Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile that he received illegal cash advances from a sequestered and a government-controlled firm.

In a press conference, Sabio said the abolition of the PCGG would derail the government’s land reform program which gets its funding from the recovered ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses.

“We are the base support of the agrarian reform program of the government. We’re helping agrarian reform. If you abolish the commission, what’s going to happen to that?” he said.

Sabio said that abolishing the PCGG at this stage is ill-advised, considering that many of the ill-gotten wealth cases are soon to be finished and decided on by the courts.

Sabio warned that senators pushing for the PCGG abolition could face the opposition of farmers who will benefit from the government’s agrarian reform program.

“So what would happen? We would never know the truth. Those people whose names were maligned will not be able to get justice, clear their names. Those who are guilty will be able to get away because there is no more PCGG,” Sabio said.

“So I think that proposal of Nene Pimentel, Dick Gordon, and the rest, should be considered very carefully, wisely, for the benefit of our country and people,” Sabio said.

They called for the PCGG’s abolition last week when Enrile made a privilege

speech claiming that several people in government, including top officials of the PCGG such as Sabio, had received illegal cash advances and payoffs from a sequestered firm identified as the Independent Realty Corp. (IRC) and a government-controlled company, Philcomsat Holdings Corp. (PHC).

Enrile cited the fact that Sabio is now facing an anti-graft probe for diverting P10 million in dividends due the government for its stake in IRC to his personal account.

He also accused the PCGG chief of receiving P350,000 in cash from the PHC and compelled the company to contribute P1 million for the commission’s Christmas party in 2005.

“The charge is not only baseless but absurd and ridiculous,” Sabio said, reading from a prepared speech.

“This was a concoction inspired by two conspirators who for their own personal motivations want me removed from my position,” Sabio said.

On the charge that he received P350,000 in cash from Philcomsat Holdings Corp. and compelled P1-million contribution for 2005 Christmas party,  Sabio said: “I have not seen the shadow of that money. The charge is absolutely and utterly baseless.”

“This patent violation of the Anti-Graft Law came as a surprise to me. Former Commissioner Nicasio Conti, who is now in London, was the chairman of the 2005 Christmas Committee,” Sabio said.

He  said that he will have Conti questioned on the alleged P1 million contribution because the PCGG had released a budget of P134,682.90 for the 2005 Christmas party  “so there was no need for the solicitation of the said contribution.”

“This apparent criminal act should be investigated as soon as former commissioner Conti returns to the Philippines. He headed the task force charged with settling the POTC-Philcomsat-PHC mess,” Sabio said.