黑料社

The Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC) is hopeful that its proposed merger with the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) would not push through.

Government Corporate Counsel Rudolf Philip Jurado, said he feels hopeful that senators will see the abolition of the OGCC and its merger with the OSG as a 鈥渃lear case of conflict of interest鈥� following the hearing of the Senate committee on justice and human rights听on Friday.

鈥淭he senators foresee that the abolition of the OGCC and merging its functions to the听OSG will certainly present a clear case of conflict of interest considering that these two听government law offices would usually find themselves at the opposing sides in court听battles,鈥� Jurado said in a statement听on Friday.

鈥淭he chairman of the committee Senator Richard Gordon and former Justice Secretary and now Senator Franklin Drilon asked the most crucial question to the OSG on its proposal to abolish the OGCC: how will the OSG resolve the conflict of interest issue?鈥� he added.

Jurado said there have听been numerous cases in the past where the OGCC and the OSG found themselves representing听opposing sides with conflicting interests.

鈥淭he OGCC represents GOCCs (government-owned and controlled corporations), while the OSG represents the Bureau of Internal听Revenue, and the Department of Finance, among others,鈥� he said.

In a position paper dated February 15, the OGCC and the Department of听Justice (DOJ) opposed proposals in the House of Representatives seeking to abolish the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) and the OGCC.

鈥淚t is the considered view of the OGCC that the proposed bills will not serve the public interest but can potentially harm and distort the already working system in the government,鈥� the position paper said.

鈥淲e humbly pray that this committee will support our advocacy of preventing the abolition of the OGCC,鈥� the position paper added.听 /muf

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