PHILIPPINE Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) board member Sandra Cam is free to quit from her current post, if she could no longer swallow the supposed corruption in the agency, Malacañang said on Friday, May 17.
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Cam, who urged President Rodrigo Duterte to relieve her from post amid alleged relentless corruption at the PCSO, need not to wait for the President's permission, as she can resign anytime.
“As to Ms. Cam’s request to relieve her in her present post, she does not have to wait for her relief by the President. She can render her resignation if she cannot stand the alleged corruption within the PCSO,” he said in a statement issued on late Friday night.
Cam, who was appointed by Duterte in 2017, renewed her claim that many of the problematic small town lotteries are led by either retired police or military generals.
The PCSO board member said she was already fed up with the corruption issues hounding the agency.
Panelo prodded Cam to file charges against the corrupt PCSO officials and substantiate her “serious” allegations about the supposed irregularities in the internal decision-making process of the agency.
Panelo assured Cam that Duterte would act on her fresh allegation, once a formal complaint is filed.
“We asked her to formally submit in writing her complaint to the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission, which is directly under the Office of the President so that it would be acted on accordingly,” the Palace official said.
“She could file corruption charges against the PCSO officials and submit proof of her allegations before the said commission. The President will order a full blown investigation on those allegations of corruption as soon as formal charges are filed,” he added.
Panelo maintained that there are “no sacred cows” in the current administration, as the President’s resolve to rid the government of corruption continues.
He also called on other individuals who are aware of rampant corruption in government to come forward and expose unlawful activities of erring public officials.
“President Rodrigo Roa Duterte is beholden to no one. He will not spare even his close friends and long-time allies in his drive to weed out corruption in the bureaucracy,”
We, thus, urge the likes of Ms. Cam to come forward and expose government ‘sheenanigans’ and malfeasance if she knows any. We assure her and other whistleblowers that they have [Duterte's] ears in this regard. (SunStar Philippines)