President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s call for Cabinet secretaries to hand in their courtesy resignations should also extend to the heads of other under-performing government agencies and corporations, the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) said in a statement.
The leaders of government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) such as the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and trouble-ridden agencies like the Bureaus of Customs and Immigration and even the Philippine National Police (PNP) should step aside and allow the President to realign government to fulfill its mandate to the people.
“Bakit mga Cabinet Secretary lang ang pagbibitawin sa pwesto? Dapat kasama din ang mga pinuno ng ahensya tulad ng PCSO at PAGCOR na sinasayang ang kaban ng bayan sa mga gawain na walang totoong pakinabang sa mamamayang Pilipino,” VACC President Arsenio “Boy” Evangelista said.
Evangelista noted that PCSO has repeatedly fallen into disrepute over various issues. These include a recent Senate inquiry over alleged corruption within the agency, calling into question the legitimacy of the jackpot winners of the state lotteries, and that PCSO insiders had manipulated or rigged the results to favor certain persons.
The VACC also noted the controversial killing of former PCSO board secretary Wesley Barayuga, who was shot to death in July 2020 as he was driving home from his office in Mandaluyong City, which remains unresolved to this day.
Several lawmakers previously called on the state lottery firm’s General Manager, Melquiades “Mel” Robles, to resign for allowing online lotteries to proceed without explicit approval from President Marcos.
“The VACC agrees with the solons’ previous statements that PCSO has failed to protect the young, especially children, from the agency’s e-lotto or online lotto project,” Evangelista said.
As for PAGCOR, the anti-crime group criticized it for allowing Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) to run rampant, especially under the tenure of its current chairman, Alejandro Tengco. Several government officials have been linked to facilitating deals for POGOs, which have also gained a reputation as online scam hubs that affect millions of Filipinos, the VACC said.
The Bureau of Customs under the Department of Finance and Bureau of Immigration under the Department of Justice have their own laundry list of controversies that remain unresolved until now,” Evangelista said.
The VACC leader added that agencies like the PNP cannot rest easy and should submit to the President’s revamp, noting the recent report of a Filipino-Chinese businessman being abducted and killed despite his family paying millions in ransom to secure his release.
In announcing the revamp, President Marcos said it was time “to realign government with the people’s expectations” and that it was “not about personalities—it’s about performance, alignment, and urgency.”
