Secretary Roy A. Cimatu is taking the fight against corruption a notch higher by tapping on the expertise and knowledge of a top anti-crime watchdog in the detection and prosecution of corrupt officials and employees of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
Cimatu, on behalf of the DENR, signed on Monday a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC), represented by its founding chairman and president Dante Jimenez, to formalize their partnership on combating corruption and environmental crimes.
“We want the DENR to completely break away from its reputation as one of the most corrupt government agencies, and I believe that the VACC will help us achieve that,” Cimatu said.
VACC is a non-stock, non-profit non-government organization campaigning to eradicate criminality and corruption in government since the 1990s.
Cimatu said the intensified corruption drive in the DENR was also in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s promise to rid the bureaucracy of corrupt individuals.
“The President has repeatedly stated that he will never tolerate corruption, and we are all too familiar with his unwavering stance against erring government officials and other law offenders,” Cimatu pointed out. “We, at the DENR, are with him in his battle against corruption.”
According to Cimatu, the DENR-VACC accord will further bolster existing anti-corruption efforts that earlier resulted in an improved image of the DENR.
“Anti-corruption measures, both internally and as required by other agencies, such as the Civil Service Commission, have been instituted and are being implemented continuously to achieve a corruption-free DENR,” Cimatu said.
“We hope that with the help of the VACC, we will sustain our anti-crime and anti-corruption efforts, so that we can improve the delivery of services and ensure a lush, clean, and healthy environment for present and future generations,” he added.
For his part, Jimenez said that this is “the first time that the VACC have met and signed with the department or with any agency in the government” to come up with an agreement to fight corruption within the bureaucracy.
According to Jimenez, since the VACC is a non-government organization that relies on a meager budget mostly from donations, what it can offer to the DENR is a “heart to fight against corruption and crime.”
Under the MOA, the VACC will assist in gathering, reporting, referring and submitting names or evidence to the DENR pertaining to its officials and employees who are involved in anomalies, corruption and crimes. The VACC also agreed to assist victims and witnesses against erring DENR personnel.
The DENR will deputize the VACC to assist in its anti-corruption campaign. However, in no case will the VACC or its members represent themselves to be part of the DENR or undertaking inspections without an official travel or investigation order, or deputation from the agency.
As DENR deputized officers, VACC members are required to undergo trainings on prosecution of erring officials, the Revised Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service, and environmental law enforcement in specific fields.
It was clearly stated in the agreement that the VACC will not have complete access to all of the records related to administrative cases against DENR personnel.
Access by the VACC should be through the Freedom of Information system of the DENR. If disapproved under the system, the VACC can appeal to the Secretary to gain access.
VACC members are considered to be assets and informants of the DENR and pledge to keep the information secured through the agreement in the strictest confidence.
The DENR and VACC agree to conduct a joint periodic assessment of the MOA to commence a year after its signing. (DENR-PR)