Church leaders in the Philippines are refusing to comment directly on allegations made by retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz that at least eight Catholic bishops received money from operators of an illegal numbers racket called jueteng.

Senator files bill seeking to increase prescriptive period for filing cases against grafters and corruptors up to 30 years so as not to allow escape from criminal liability

Lifestyle monitors ferret out tax cheats

Ex-Arroyo exec got P10M from Maguindanao slay suspect - witness

Head of the Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund) in hot seat over P7.1-billion payment made to private developer that apparently presented fake borrowers.

Globe Asiatique Realty Holdings Corp. was able to get billions of pesos from the Pag-IBIG Fund for its projects in Pampanga province through the fund's "express lane" program, the head of the national savings and housing agency said.

Congress advised to abide by high court on Ombudsman case

INTERNATIONAL ANTI-CORRUPTION ACADEMY: Despite its poor performance in corruption polls, the Philippines became one of the founders of the world's first educational institution dedicated to fighting corruption. Based in Laxenburg in Vienna, the International Anti-Corruption Academy is the world's first educational institution that will have programs aimed at eradicating corruption...the academy will train policymakers in governments, the private sector and civil society, as well as professionals such as judges, investigators, prosecutors, police officers, regulators and members of the academe from all over the world.

BIR ZEROES IN: Bureau of Internal Revenue is zeroing in on officials of state-owned corporations to check if they have paid the right amount of taxes, a move that comes in the wake of findings that these government firms have granted fabulous allowances and bonuses to their top executives and board officers.

CRISIS: Lawmakers pushing for the impeachment proceedings against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez raised a howl over the decision of the Supreme Court to suspend the hearings, with the chairman of the justice committee, Iloilo Representative Niel Tupas Jr. warning of a possible "constitutional crisis."

Supreme Court suspends impeachment proceedings vs Ombudsman

Gutierrez acts to stop impeachment process

Imelda Marcos must return stolen funds: Philippine court

COA REPORTS PARK LEASE LOSSES: Officials of the National Parks Development Committee (NPDC) are under fire for leasing out a Rizal Park property to a popular fast food joint at an amount that is not even half of the prevailing rental rates in the premiere commercial area.

OMBUDSMAN TO INVESTIGATE two high-profile cases: alleged housing scam and excessive salaries and allowances received by officials of government-owned and -controlled corporations

MONTHLY CORRUPTION QUOTA: Finance Department hopes to file two cases a month against corrupt government officials to instill discipline in Customs and Internal Revenue bureaus..."As part of Secretary [Cesar] Purisima's team, I will be going by his agenda of reforming perceived malpractices in both Customs and Internal Revenue," newly appointed Finance Undersecretary Carlo Carag said. "[We aim to] create a culture of honest public service under the best practices that the current administration is trying to espouse," said Carag...

Anti-graft court told to reopen Silverio case...In filing the case in 1987, the Presidential Commission on Good Government sought to recover ill-gotten wealth allegedly acquired by Silverio because of his close association with the Marcoses.

EX-PRESIDENT TO AWAIT OFFICIAL SUMMONS: Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has refused to be drawn into the Sandiganbayan's investigation of the national broadband network deal against former Social Security System (SSS) administrator Romulo Neri, saying she would first await official summons from the anti-graft court. As this developed, Arroyo's husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, kept distance anew from the botched deal with China's ZTE Corp., maintaining he has no personal knowledge about it.

ROBREDO TO LGUs: Disclose finances on websites...The DILG has published on its official website its annual budget and those of the other agencies attached to it...

IMPEACHMENT SUPPORTER ALSO FACES CHARGES: Iloilo Representative Niel Tupas Jr., head of the justice committee in the House of Representatives conducting impeachment proceedings against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, is himself facing a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman...Iloilo Vice Governor Rolex Suplico filed the complaint against Tupas...Suplico said Tupas's office issued three checques amounting to P50,000 each for the catering services in the three seminars, which was collected by his secretary. When he was vice governor, Suplico checked if there were indeed seminars held for local officials in Sara town, but found that the attendance list was fabricated, and that the seminars did not happen.

SENATOR DRILON: "We all know that dredging is the biggest source of corruption...and yet, we are borrowing from Belgium just to undertake this kind of project?" >>> Government puts on hold P18.7 billion Laguna Lake Rehabilitation Project for further review...

Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez affirms earlier decision recommending dismissal of slain hostage-taker and four other policemen from service for extorting money from young chef two years ago.

ALLEGATIONS OF BRIBE DEMANDS: The Office of Ombudsman has gained notoriety allegedly for accepting or demanding bribes from government people it is investigating. Many officials and employees of the Bureaus of Customs and Internal Revenue, for example, facing cases of unexplained wealth have been exonerated by the Office of the Ombudsman after they came across.

Hostage-taking cop accused someone of extorting P150K for his case

$10B ALLEGED ODA FUND ABUSE QUESTIONED: House of Representatives will conduct inquiry on alleged misuse and mismanagement of official development assistance (ODA) funds from foreign governments amounting to $10 billion that involved 38 projects in last few years.

PPP TRANSPARENCY URGED: Palace urged to bare details of public-private partnership in budget so that it would not be vulnerable to corruption

President Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III: Creating an executive order to prevent executives of government owned and controlled corporations from receiving excessive pays and unwarranted bonuses.

Politician linked to smuggling in Davao

Accountant sacked for "yelling, being rude" to vice governor >>> "Employees in the government service are bound by the rules of proper and ethical behavior. They are expected to act with self-restraint and civility at all times," the decision said.

FRAUD IN IRAQ, SECRET BANK ACCOUNTS IN PHILIPPINES: former senior employee of U.S. military contractor pleaded guilty to conspiracy to pay $360,000 in bribes to U.S. Army contracting officials stationed at U.S. military base in Kuwait

EX-UP EXEC ALLEGES HARASSMENT FOR OLD CHARGE: Award-winning writer and former University of the Philippines official Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo has protested what she said was her harassment by the Office of the Ombudsman, which she said continues to pursue her for a case in connection with her use of a service vehicle four years ago. In a letter, Hidalgo lamented that the Office of the Ombudsman has been asking her to submit documents in connection with the complaints filed against her and her driver for using her service vehicle on a Sunday, when, she said, she was working to raise funds for UP. Hidalgo said she could not fathom why the Ombudsman appears to be determined to believe that she and another UP official and driver were lying about their whereabouts. "I feel most aggrieved. Given the countless cases of blatant graft and corruption, involving billions of pesos, which seem to be resolutely ignored, why am I being singled out for this harassment by the Office of the Ombudsman?"

GERMAN PAPER: Philippines starts crackdown on corrupt bureaucrats

Secretary Rosalinda D. Baldoz announced that the Department of Labor and Employment is pursuing all-out effort against the worst forms of contractualization while resolving the root causes of red tape and corruption that hamper and obstruct the effectiveness of the country's labor inspection thrusts...

PHILIPPINES CRACKS DOWN ON CORRUPT BUREAUCRATS: The Philippines filed corruption cases against five Bureau of Customs employees for helping a rice importer evade duties, the first time the new government has filled such charges against state workers. President Benigno Aquino's two-month-old government has been filing one case a week against tax evaders and smugglers as part of its pledge to cut the budget deficit by cracking down on graft.

VISAYAS OMBUDSMAN OFFICE URGES "UNITE AGAINST CORRUPTION": All sectors in Capiz need to unite in the fight against graft and corruption in government according to Deputy Ombudsman Pelagio Apostol, who was in the city for the caravan of government services...the local media, non-governmental organizations, civil society, and business sector should serve as "eyes and ears" to prevent graft and corruption in public office. All sectors should have linkages to the Office of the Ombudsman so that cases are reported directly to their agency, he said. Apostol said although the Ombudsman was created for some time now, it has failed to curb graft and corruption. However, the Philippines is no longer the most corrupt country in the world.

DEFENSE BIDS TO BE TRANSPARENT: The Department of National Defense will open all bidding processes of future procurements to the media as part of the Aquino administration's campaign for transparency within government agencies and its fight against corruption, a spokesman from the office said...

MISUSE OF CALAMITY FUNDS: The diversion of calamity funds into the pockets of public officials rather than helping the victims of natural disasters is surely one of the most heinous kinds of corruption anywhere...

JOURNALISTS VISIT TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL: Transparency International is keeping an eye on President Aquino to see if he is fulfilling his promises to promote transparency and address the stigma of corruption in the Philippine bureaucracy. Samantha Grant, TI's program coordinator for Asia and the Pacific, said she is hopeful that the Aquino administration would stand by its principles of weeding out e corruption to improve the lives of the poor Filipinos. "I think that people are quite hopeful and he needs to deliver on the promises he made. It is important that we see results," she said. "I think the time is ripe, and it is up to him to bring about change," she said... the TI official said the incoming 15th President of the Philippines would face the huge challenge of addressing the apparent institutionalized corruption in the country. Grant expressed optimism that Aquino, whose integrity has not been tainted by corruption, could introduce reforms in the bureaucracy, and if his government would sincerely implement anti-corruption drive, the Philippines' ranking in the CPI would "possibly" be changed. "It takes a long time for this change to be reflected on the CPI even when there is a lot of positive work being done. Sometimes, it drives more attention to the problem or makes people more aware of the problem. So, in terms of whether there is a chance or not, I dont know. But there is a possibility of making change, I hope," she said when asked about the chances of the Philippines to improve its CPI ranking...

Quezon City government simplifies procedures for acquiring business permits from as many as 12 steps to 3 to provide ease to entrepreneurs and eliminate corruption.

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR: Philippines hostage crisis exposes police corruption, ineptitude

	NO MORE GIFTS: BUREAU OF INTERNAL REVENUE COMMISSIONER The country’s revenue workers will now have to refrain from accepting gifts – simple or lavish – for whatever occasion from individual and corporate taxpayers. They will also have to resist invitations to dine in fancy restaurants, Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Kim Henares said... Henares said these moves are being strongly reiterated under the agency’s revised Code of Ethics for BIR officials and employees...

Government launches Fourth Progress Report on Millennium Development Goals, showing Philippines' pace of progress with regard to 21 targets and 60 indicators being used to determine whether MDGs are being met >>> "...Philippine performance in these areas is unacceptable, and must be reversed. It is not enough to say we will double or triple our efforts, because even then, that will not guarantee that the targets will be met. It is not enough to say that without corruption, there will be no poverty. Integrity is not sufficient. Commitment (political will) and competence are at least as important." - Solita Collas-Monsod in BusinessWorld

LETTER: Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez is being impeached not because of her close ties with former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo but because of "abuse of public power to protect certain people and their rent-seeking activities"

STOP THIS COUNTRY >>> Vantage Point -- By Luis V. Teodoro Benigno Aquino III said upon taking office last July that he hoped the "honeymoon period" between him, on the one hand, and the media and the citizenry, on the other,) would last throughout his entire six-year term. But the next Social Weather Stations and Pulse Asia surveys should show whether or not it will even survive his hundredth day.