(The Philippine Star) | Updated November 23, 2016 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines –
Veteran journalist Charie Villa has pledged to support government employees who
are being pressured by their superiors to engage in corrupt activities.
“(The) Villa family
will spearhead the movement to fight corruption from within,” the journalist
said in a Facebook post yesterday after receiving messages from government
employees seeking her assistance.
“We know there are many
honest hardworking dedicated government employees out there. Let’s move to
fight corruption,” she added.
Villa earlier announced
that they will put up a foundation to support government employees who are
being pressured to take part in corrupt activities following the death of her
brother, Energy Regulation Commission (ERC) director Francisco Villa Jr.
The ERC official
committed suicide last Nov. 9 due to alleged corruption in the agency where he
had been employed for more than a decade.
Last week, Villa bared
the contents of the suicide notes of her brother, who alleged that he was being
pressured to approve contracts without going through the proper bidding
process.
President Duterte, who
is currently in Peru for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, has
ordered ERC officials to resign due to the alleged corrupt activities.
However, ERC officials
refused to step down and are seeking a meeting with Duterte, pledging an
impartial probe of the allegations made by the deceased official.
The Villa family
expressed gratitude to Duterte for looking into the alleged corruption at the
ERC.
“We have no comment on
the President’s decision over ERC. That’s the President’s prerogative and we
the family merely stated what Jun said before he died, that he was being
pressured to sign contracts that did not pass through proper procedure,” said
Villa, referring to her sibling by his nickname.
She said the family
thanked the President for the attention he has given to their tragic loss.
“For those who reject
‘pakisama’ or ‘for the boys’ and are treated as ‘uncommon’ or ‘weird’ just
because they stand up for what is right and follow the rules and the law...
where do they seek redress? Where can they go?” Villa was quoted as saying by
ABS-CBN News.
“Corruption like rust
is corrosive. Jun did not want to store up treasures here on Earth, for he is
wealthy of the treasures from God,” she added.
Following the
announcement, Villa said yesterday that she has received numerous requests for
support from employees in a similar situation as that of her brother.
“To all the government
employees who are now sending me messages asking for help/assistance from
pressures from their corrupt bosses, please hang in there. I am seeking help
too,” she said.
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