(Eagle News)—President Rodrigo Duterte can now “directly investigate” and assume jurisdiction of administrative cases filed against presidential appointees.
This was after Duterte signed Executive Order No. 73 on December 28.
A copy of the EO was released to the media only on Friday, Jan. 11.
“Nothing shall prevent the President, in the interest of the service, from directly investigating and/or hearing an administrative case against any presidential appointee or authorizing other offices under the Office of the President to do the same, as well as from assuming jurisdiction at any stage of the proceedings over cases being investigated by the Commission,” the EO said, referring to the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission.
The EO also allows the PACC to recommend violations of RA No. 9485, otherwise known as the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007” for investigation by the Anti-Red Tape Authority.
It also allows the PACC to recommend to the chief executive the filing of criminal complaints against officials before the Office of the Ombudsman, Department of Justice.
Earlier, the PACC said it was probing three Cabinet officials, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, former Customs Commissioner and now Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Director General Isidro Lapeña and National Commission on Indigenous Peoples Chairman Leonor Oralde-Quintayo.
Bello had cried foul over the release of their names.
