The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has created “Task Force Cash Cow” to investigate alleged anomalies in the country’s hosting of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, NBI Director Melvin Matibag said.
Speaking to reporters in an ambush interview, Matibag said the task force will be composed of personnel from the Office of the Director, the Public Corruption Division, the Special Action Unit, and NBI field offices.
As part of the investigation, the NBI will request documents from the Commission on Audit (COA), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).
“We will be writing COA, SEC, and BIR to check on the documentation,” Matibag said.
According to the NBI chief, around P6.7 billion in government funds was transferred to the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) for the staging of the 2019 SEA Games.
Matibag also disclosed that subpoenas have been issued to seven individuals in connection with the investigation. Some of them are expected to appear before the NBI on Monday and Wednesday.
The NBI is investigating the alleged anomalous procurement of projects related to the 2019 SEA Games following the receipt of new information and documents involving PHISGOC.
