Bicam junks PCGG abolition, fixes term of solicitor general

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate and the House of Representatives junked the proposal to abolish the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) and the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC) and lifted the age limit for the post of solicitor general.

The bicameral conference committee on the bill reorganizing the Office of the Solicitor General met yesterday to come up with a final version of the measure, which also sought to abolish the PCGG and the OGCC by putting their functions under the OSG.

The measure, which Malacañang has been pushing since last year, also proposed to remove the OSG from the Department of Justice.

The committee, which was tasked to reconcile conflicting versions of the bill passed by the Senate and the House last year, agreed on a final version of the measure during a meeting yesterday retaining the PCGG.

Solicitor General Jose Calida was present during the briefing.

Sen. Richard Gordon, a member of the bicameral conference committee, said the PCGG was retained as the agency needs to continue its task of recovering ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses.

The PCGG has so far recovered P171 billion in ill-gotten wealth and is on track to retrieve P40 billion more by 2020, he said.

The approved measure also removed the age limit for the appointment and tenure of the solicitor general, who is currently mandated to retire at 65 like other government officials.