The Department of Finance (DOF) launched an anti-corruption page on its website as part of its support to the President’s government-wide probe on corruption.
DOF said the page can be accessed under the Advocacies/Anti-Corruption menu of its website.
The anti-corruption page would allow the public to submit any information concerning officers and DOF, Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), and Bureau of Customs (BOC) personnel who might be involved in graft and corruption.
“This initiates the power of the Secretary of Finance under Executive Order (EO) No. 259 series of 2003 to investigate such information, submit the findings to the Office of the Ombudsman and ask for the criminal prosecution and dismissal from the service of errant officials and personnel,” the DOF said.
“Traditionally, any information on suspected corruption needs to be reported to the DOF face to face, but with the ongoing pandemic, this online tool allows the public to safely submit information directly to the DOF through their mobile devices,” it added.
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DOF launches anti-corruption page
DOF noted that though the page is not officially a part of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Mega Task Force created to probe corruption in the government, it has heeded the call of Duterte to curb corruption through its Revenue Integrity Protection Service (RIPS) team.
The RIPS anti-corruption team is mandated to detect, investigate, and prevent corruption inside the DOF, BIR, BOC, and all other DOF-attached agencies. Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra was already informed about the team, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said.
“In light of the memorandum of President Duterte directing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate allegations of corruption in the entire bureaucracy, this Department shall be pleased to extend its assistance which your department may need,” Dominguez said in his letter to Guevarra.
“(The RIPS) has the authority to gather evidence and file the appropriate criminal, civil or administrative complaints against government officials and employees in the said offices before the appropriate court, or administrative body and actively assist in the prosecution of the cases,” Dominguez added.