President Rodrigo Duterte's anti-corruption body said Monday it was investigating alleged corruption in the government's pandemic cash aid or ayuda program long before Sen. Manny Pacquiao's exposé.
Greco Belgica, chairman of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission, said the body has been looking into some 9,000 complaints of supposed corruption in the ayuda disbursement, noting that allegations of irregularities in the program are "nothing new."
"Yung mga SAP allegations po na narinig natin sa kanya ay matagal na po natin iniimbestigahan," Belgica said in a public briefing.
"Yang issue na iyan is already undergoing investigation sa PACC. Umuusod na po ang investigation diyan. Pag natapos po namin, isasampa namin kung may dapat kasuhan," he added.
Pacquiao over the weekend claimed of some P10.4 billion in missing funds supposedly for the cash aid program for the poor after President Duterte dared him to back up his claims of corruption in the government.
"Saan po napunta ang limpak-limpak na ayuda?" Pacquiao said.
The fighting senator, who is rumored to be gearing up for a presidential bid, said 1.3 million of the supposed 1.8 million recipients were not able to get aid via mobile wallet Starpay even though government records showed that they got the cash assistance.
Belgica said the PACC was waiting for documents from Pacquiao's office so that the commission could look into the corruption claims of the senator.
"We are waiting already for the documents that he said his office will send us," Belgica said.
Pacquiao had said that he would submit the supposed corruption in the cash aid program for Senate investigation.
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