The Department of Finance (DOF), through its Revenue Integrity Protection Service (RIPS), has stepped up its anti-graft drive under the leadership of Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno.

“Prudent fiscal management must be underpinned by transparency and accountability. As custodians of public resources, we cannot afford to leave any room for graft and corruption,” said Secretary Diokno.

RIPS is the DOF’s anti-corruption arm, created by virtue of Executive Order No. 259, series 2003 to conduct lifestyle checks, investigate allegations of graft and corrupt practices, and file criminal and administrative complaints, as necessary, against officials and employees of the DOF, its bureaus, and attached agencies.

From July 2022 to September 30, 2023, RIPS has initiated a total of 58 investigations against suspected erring officials and employees under its jurisdiction.

These include 23 investigations on the Bureau of Customs (BOC); 23 on the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR); 6 on the Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF); 1 on the Insurance Commission (IC); 1 on the DOF; 3 on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); and 1 on the Philippine Deposit Insurance Commission (PDIC).

It has filed 5 cases with the Civil Service Commission (CSC) against employees of the BIR, BOC, and BLFG; filed 6 cases with the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) against employees of the BIR; and has received 8 favorable resolutions during the term of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.

To further strengthen the fight against corruption, RIPS has established a Green Lane Committee with the BOC and BIR; made improvements to its existing monitoring system—the RIPS Alert System (RAS); and strengthened the capacity of its RIPS Sumbong Website.