A BILL filed by Senator Panfilo Lacson would provide substantial rewards and better protection to witnesses testifying against corrupt government officials or employees.
By getting the cooperation of “credible witnesses with reliable information,” Senate Bill 258 would address the difficulty of fighting corruption”•especially those involving acts behind closed doors.
“This proposed legislation seeks to encourage whistle-blowers to come out in the open and put an end to the corrupt practices of some government officials or employees,” Lacson said.
He said whistle-blowers would be entitled to a monetary reward ranging from P50,000 to P5 million. A whistle-blower would get half of his reward after being admitted to the Witness Protection Program by the Office of the Ombudsman, and the remaining half before the filing of a case in court.
In cases such as plunder, forfeiture of ill-gotten wealth, bribery, misuse of public funds and damage or injury to government, the whistle-blower would be entitled to an additional reward of up to 10 percent of the amount recovered by the final judgment on the case.
Should the case drag on, the whistle-blower may get an advance payment equivalent to 25 percent of the additional reward from the total award due.
Lacson said his bill aims to ensure the full protection of whistle-blowers against any form of retaliation or ostracism. His bill also includes rigid procedures to prevent abuses or false witnesses.
His bill covers cases involving violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, the code of ethics for government officials and employees, the Anti-Plunder Law, and other crimes committed by public officers.
The bill would reward whistle-blowers or informants from the public or private sectors who will make disclosures that are voluntary, in writing and under oath, and relate to conduct constituting graft and corruption.
The disclosures should be corroborated and lead to a successful gathering of evidence and result in the filing of a criminal complaint before a court.
An initial P100 million is to be appropriated from the National Treasury to implement the bill if it becomes law.