The House of Representatives’ committee on justice approved on Wednesday a substitute bill seeking to abolish the Presidential Commission on Good Government and the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel.
The PCGG was created to focus on the recovery and preservation of ill-gotten wealth, while the OGCC is the principal law office of government-owned-and- controlled corporations.
The OSG, on the other hand, is the law office representing the government.
The still unnumbered bill, now being readied for approval in plenary session, aims to transfer the functions of PCGG and OGCC to the Office of the Solicitor General. The approved bill was a consolidation of House Bill 350, 547, 3275, 4748, 5216, and 5233.
The committee, chaired by Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, approved the consolidated bill that was sponsored by Leyte Rep. Vicente Veloso, chairperson of the House subcommittee on judicial reforms under the Umali panel. The bill was approved prior to the resumption of the House justice panel impeachment proceedings.
Veloso said the bill proposes to create a special task force of at least five divisions to continue the PCGG functions.
It guarantees the absorption of PCGG and OGCC officials and employees who do want to avail of the retirement and separation benefits on condition that they have the needed eligibility and qualifications for the available OSG positions, Veloso said.
One of the bills, HB 5233, was authored by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, House Majority Floor Leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas, and Umali.
“The consolidation of the legal services in the OSG will specifically promote the wiser and more prudent use of public funds since this will do away with the practice of the OGCC of billing client GOCCs for legal services rendered,” said Alvarez. Meanwhile, the same panel approved a separate bill that seeks to strengthen the OSG.
The measure also seeks to strengthen the powers and functions of the OSG by increasing compensation, benefits and privileges of its employees. With PNA