MANILA - The Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) is investigating an anomaly “at a very large scale” that allegedly took place during the term of former President Benigno Aquino III.

PACC Commissioner Manuelito Luna refused to give details on the fact-finding probe except to say that it involves P10 billion to P20 billion in public funds and covers three government projects.

“A very big anomaly, so far the biggest and multibillion[-peso] anomaly which transpired not in this administration but during the BS Aquino administration… tatlong klaseng projects ito… pinondohan ng (these are three projects funded with) billions of pesos, but there are ‘red flags’,” Luna told reporters at a news conference Thursday.

“Not covered by GAA (General Appropriations Act)… sad to say, maraming realignment sa (there was a lot of realignment of public funds under the) previous administration,” added the lawyer, who sued Aquino for graft at the Office of the Ombudsman as counsel for the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) before his appointment to the PACC.

The PACC was created by President Rodrigo Duterte in October 2017 through Executive Order No. 43 “to directly assist the President in investigating and/or hearing administrative cases primarily involving graft and corruption against all presidential appointees.”

It has the power, on complaint or motu proprio, and concurrently with the Office of the Ombudsman, to hear, investigate, receive, gather, and evaluate evidence, intelligence reports, and information in administrative cases against all presidential appointees under the executive department and any of its agencies or instrumentalities.

The PACC may, upon instruction of the President, conduct lifestyle checks and fact-finding inquiries over these officials.

The commission is chaired by Dante Jimenez, who used to head the the VACC.