Vince thinks it is, by definition, weak and will end up practically useless. It is also a replication of the Ombudsman. What Marcos should do is appoint an Ombudsman who is incorruptible and strong. He also should make sure that the Office of the Ombudsman is adequately funded. Vince also underlined the need for better selection of judges of the Sandiganbayan as well as members of the Judicial and Bar Council.

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HIGHLIGHTS

– Problem with commission’s composition, duties, and mandate

– Main concern: It duplicates the mandate and functions of the Ombudsman – and in a poor fashion at that

– Marcos’ EO that created the commission uses words like “recommend,” “request” -- very weak words. Compare that to Ombudsman which has the power to compel witnesses

– So anybody can refuse to cooperate with the commission, which has no power of contempt

– Commission is for public relations; Marcos wants to be seen as being pro-active

– But creation of commission is a misstep

– Litmus test for Marcos is who's he going to appoint as ombudsman

– If Marcos really wants to address corruption government-wide, he has the opportunity here to appoint a good Ombudsman and make sure his office is adequately funded

– What the commission should be doing is do a study on the anatomy of corruption at the DPWH and then make recommendations to the president on how DPWH should be structured

– Just the same, Marcos should avoid appointing ex-DPWH officials to the commission.

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