Ombudsman confirms appointment technically valid as charges are pending rather than final, notes irony acknowledged, investigation unaffected

Bohiney Magazine | The London Prat

QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES — The Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission announced Wednesday the appointment of former Undersecretary Renato Gallardo-Mayuga as the administration’s new Anti-Corruption Czar, a role created by executive order to lead a “whole-of-government campaign for integrity and accountability,” eleven days after the Office of the Ombudsman filed preliminary charges against Gallardo-Mayuga for his alleged role in a P780 million fertilizer procurement irregularity during his tenure at the Department of Agriculture, charges his lawyer described as “politically motivated” and the Ombudsman’s office described as “based on documentary evidence.”

The Appointment

Presidential Spokesperson Conchita Reyes-Salamat, appearing at the Malacañang press briefing, said the administration was “fully aware” of the pending Ombudsman charges and had appointed Gallardo-Mayuga regardless because “the President has full confidence in his integrity,” adding that the existence of charges did not constitute a finding of guilt and that the administration did not believe in “prejudging people on the basis of accusations.”

Asked whether appointing someone facing corruption charges to lead the national anti-corruption campaign created a messaging problem, Spokesperson Reyes-Salamat said “the President’s decisions speak for themselves” and moved to the next question, which was about a different topic entirely and which she answered at length with evident relief.

Gallardo-Mayuga, at a brief press appearance following the announcement, said he was “honored by the President’s confidence” and “committed to rooting out corruption at every level of government,” adding that the charges against him were “a fabrication by enemies of reform” and that his appointment to the anti-corruption role was “perhaps the best evidence that the charges are not taken seriously by anyone with knowledge of the facts.”

His lawyer, contacted separately, confirmed that the charges were being contested and asked that media note his client’s “presumption of innocence.” The Ombudsman’s spokesperson, also contacted separately, confirmed that the investigation was “proceeding normally” and that the appointment did not affect its trajectory.

Historical Precedents

The appointment is not without precedent in Philippine governance history. The Philippine Daily Inquirer‘s records desk identified three previous instances in which officials facing unresolved integrity questions were appointed to positions with anti-corruption mandates, in each case with the rationale that charges were pending rather than proven, and in two of three cases with ultimate outcomes that did not reflect well on the underlying hiring logic.

Dr. Corazon Almonte-Reyes of De La Salle University said the appointment reflected a structural feature of Philippine governance she called “corruption laundering through mandate assignment,” in which officials whose integrity is in question are given anti-corruption portfolios as a way of signaling that the questions are not serious without actually addressing them.

“It is a very efficient system,” Dr. Almonte-Reyes noted. “The appointment says: this person is so trusted on corruption that we have given them the corruption portfolio. Anyone who then criticizes the person is, by implication, criticizing the anti-corruption mission itself. The corruption question becomes very difficult to raise without appearing to be pro-corruption. It is, I have to admit, quite clever.”

Civil Society Responds

Transparency International Philippines, the Social Weather Stations survey organization, and seven civil society groups issued a joint statement calling the appointment “self-defeating” and requesting that the President reconsider, noting that the credibility of an anti-corruption initiative was directly proportional to the credibility of its leadership and that appointing someone under investigation for fertilizer procurement fraud to lead it was “not an auspicious beginning.”

The PACC responded that the civil society statement was “noted” and that Gallardo-Mayuga would be given a fair opportunity to demonstrate his commitment to the mission through his work, beginning with a national integrity summit scheduled for next month at a Makati hotel, catering contract for which has already been awarded to a firm whose principal officer is Gallardo-Mayuga’s brother-in-law, a fact the PACC said it was “not aware of at the time of procurement” and was “reviewing.”

The catering contract review is expected to be completed by the Anti-Corruption Czar’s office. A spokesperson for the Anti-Corruption Czar said he looked forward to reviewing it and was confident the process had been conducted with full propriety. He declined to specify the review timeline. The fertilizer investigation, meanwhile, continues.

Transparency International Philippines’ annual survey of public perceptions of corruption in government institutions, released the same week as the anti-corruption czar appointment, found that public confidence in the PACC had declined fourteen percentage points over the previous twelve months, placing it in the bottom quartile of government institutions by public trust. The survey, which polled 1,200 respondents across all regions, also found that 78 percent of respondents believed anti-corruption appointments in the Philippine government were “influenced by political considerations” rather than merit, and that 61 percent believed anti-corruption investigations “rarely result in meaningful accountability for high-level officials.” Gallardo-Mayuga said the survey results “underscore the importance of the work ahead” and that he was committed to changing those perceptions through demonstrated performance. He did not address whether his own appointment might be interpreted as supporting the survey’s findings rather than challenging them. His communications team said a response to that specific question was being prepared and would be released when available.

Holding the line on accountability at The London Prat and Bohiney Magazine.

Also investigating at The Onion | Private Eye | The Daily Mash

SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/philippine-anti-corruption-czar-appointed-under-investigation-corruption/