NEWS >>> JUNE 27

As he campaigned, President Noynoy Aquino vowed to wage a battle against corruption, a promise that won the nod of the electorate over those who pledged economic recovery, education, progress (in the vagueness of it) or efficient leadership.Today, President Noy begins the real work towards corruption-free Philippines, a task both daunting and overwhelming in its enormity. The new president believes eliminating corruption opens doors. By fighting it, he eventually delivers the promises of his other contenders such as economic recovery, poverty eradication or progress. He blames corruption for the staggering poverty in the country – a view shared by the international community.

ARE WE LOSING TO CORRUPTION?

“Foreign investors are having a hard time doing business in the Philippines because of corruption,” said Michael Hershman, co-founder of anti corruption group, Transparency International and President of Fairfax Group, a risk management organization closely working with multinationals and countries on high level corruption issues.

According to Hershman, the Philippines may have a lot of resources appealing to investors such as raw materials and efficient labor but the cost of doing business here is saddled with practices that drive away investors, such as bribery, kickbacks and cuts from government officials and offices.

“Corruption also affects international aid, grants and even loans,” Hershman said. “If the Philippines cannot use loans and aid efficiently it cannot earn the trust of foreign governments, businesses, and global financial institutions.”

PLUG THE HOLES

About 20 percent of the country’s fiscal budget is lost to corruption. According to Transparency International, this is enough to do more for the country if spent as intended.

Transparency International pegs the Philippines Corruption Perception Index (CPI) at 139 in 2009. The CPI is a list of 180 countries ranked by investors, governments, aid organizations and global financial institutions in terms of corruption perceptions. While a rank of 139 in 2009 is better than 141 in 2008— it is barely a marked improvement.

What does it mean to be ranked 139?

Conversely, if investors and international lending bodies were to invest or extend assistance and loans to countries the Philippines is only the 139th country they will invest in, because of pervasive corruption.

PUNISH THE CORRUPT

The new Aquino administration must adopt a strategy that would effectively send a message to Filipinos and the world that it is serious in fighting corruption. We are up against a perception and it takes more than just a declaring a war against corruption to change it.

According to Hershman, the government must spend extensive resources and time to prosecute corruption cases and punish those behind it.

“Punishing the corrupt eases perceptions of impunity,” Hershman said.

It also achieves as sense of justice to the millions of Filipinos robbed of mutually-owned resources.

THE NEW GENERATION MUST UNLEARN CORRUPTION

It also pays to invest on a long term anti-corruption drive through education. Like values education, the evils of corruption must be taught in schools, calling for an end to corrupt practices evident in transactional politics and government services. It’s time transactional politics ceases to be “standard operating procedure”.

“Transparency, accountability, and ethics in public position should be taught to the young, and adults must set examples,” Hershman said.

These small steps will eventually lead Filipinos to a tipping point as experienced by other countries. Hong Kong, once plagued with corruption, made a significant leap by prosecuting the corrupt and embarking on a marketing and education campaign that led to culture change.

But it took Hong Kong 30 years to see its gains. It certainly takes more time than just six years – the term of a president – to fight corruption. No matter how overzealous he may be, he needs help.

WORK WITH THE NEW PRESIDENT

Today we have a new president, one who’s taken the cudgels against corruption. The battle is uphill and corruption exists massively in all layers of government. Normally, a skeptic would not expect to see changes. What he would see is another promise a president will fail to keep.

But today is no time to be cynical. Filipinos must believe there is an end to corruption. It may be far off in the future but it is opportune now. Losing hope is not an option.

Corruption hits Filipinos right to the core. It has made us poor. Ending it now, is a basic need.
--- By Stanley Palisada, The News Today Online

CORRUPTION: AQUINO'S BIGGEST CHALLENGE >>> "Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap," was President-elect Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III's battle cry during his campaign. His promise was to lead the country to the straight path or what he called "daang matuwid." Now that his inauguration is just a few days away, everybody is curious if he can actually deliver the promised change. For the 9 years that his soon-to-be predecessor President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was in power, the Philippines managed to score poorly in the Corruption Perception Index, a global survey conducted annually by international civil organization, Transparency International. From 2.9 in 2001, the country's score dropped significantly to 2.4 in 2009, with 1 being the most corrupt. Former Budget Secretary Ben Diokno said the immediate consequence was a decline in foreign direct investments, with investors preferring other countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region such as Vietnam.

No amount of sermonizing will solve the cancer of corruption and convert people who have grown filthy rich from breaking the law. In Tagalog, they call that santong dasalan (persuasion). What is needed is santong paspasan (punitive action). The new government has vowed to go after the crooks and criminals of the Arroyo era, including Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo herself. That is well and good. Throwing some big names in jail should put the fear of God in the political, business, and criminal syndicates that hold this country hostage. But that's dealing with the past. What needs to be done is to create an environment in which prospective bribe-takers, extortionists, swindlers, and crooks, including those in judicial robes, are confronted by the imminent threat of public exposure. In addition to a media community that has become increasingly vigilant (but still needs to do much more), ordinary citizens can play a key role in holding public officials accountable. In this high-tech age, with everyone owning a smart phone-cum-video-audio-recorder-camera, catching an extortionist and a bribe-taker red-handed and exposing proof of ill-gotten wealth,

...Noynoy made changes to the way he was inaugurated as the country’s leader for the next six years. Gone are the long speeches. Gone are the inaugural parades. Gone are the pompous inaugurals balls. Instead there was a “street party” at the Quezon Memorial Circle in the evening. It was a people’s celebration of the dawn of a new era of Pagbabago. The austere cost of the inauguration signified the frugal tone of his presidency. He shunned the glamour of regal living in Malacañang Palace and settled for a simple place of abode near the palace...After his swearing-in, Noynoy gave a stirring 20-minute speech where he crystallized his fight against corruption. He said, “Ang sinumang nagkamali ay kailangang humarap sa hustisya” (Those who erred must face justice). And to make his point clear, he said: “To those who are talking about reconciliation, if they mean that they would like us to simply forget about the wrongs that they have committed in the past, we have this to say: there can be no reconciliation without justice.” Yes, indeed.
He promised to review the “midnight appointments” of former president Arroyo and to clean up the Bureau of Internal Revenue and Bureau of Customs of corruption to increase revenues...

He promised to fight corruption and end poverty. Can he do it? In my article, “Rx for Poverty and Corruption” (Dec. 9, 2005), I wrote: “Someone once said, ‘The human being is corrupt by nature and therefore corruption cannot be eradicated completely.’ I do not agree with the generalization that ‘the human being is corrupt by nature.’ I believe that the human being is inherently honest; however, the temptation to commit corruption is always present. And if undeterred, corruption becomes a way of life, particularly for those who hold positions of authority. Then it becomes the standard for doing business, not only in the public sector but also in the private sector.”

Noynoy plans to create an independent commission to investigate and prosecute corruption cases during the Arroyo administration. He calls it the “Truth Commission” and it will be headed by retired Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. Ironically, it was Davide who swore in Gloria as president after Joseph Estrada was deposed in January 2001. Would he remain impartial and fair as the “Grand Inquirer” investigating Gloria’s alleged corruption?...

What is needed is a sustained effort to prosecute corrupt officials -- ruthlessly, expeditiously, and judiciously. Ruthlessly it must -- take no prisoners. Expeditiously it must -- justice delayed is justice denied. And judiciously it must -- the court must be free of interference, from within and without. It should be incorruptible and “untouchable.”...

Noynoy should set the tone of his presidency in the first 100 days. The fight against corruption must start on Day One. If he is truly keen about eradicating corruption and poverty, as he promised, then there must be discipline at all levels of the government. He must relentlessly pursue the real truth -- not the “manufactured” truth -- and prosecute those who have stolen from the people...

Noynoy concluded his inaugural speech by saying: “The people who are behind us dared to dream. Today, the dream starts to become a reality.” Indeed, it’s a dream as old as the First Republic when Filipinos declared their independence from Spain in 1896. That dream has eluded us as we fall prey to the dominion of corrupt governments.

Noynoy’s presidency ushers in a new beginning of Pagbabago and ignites hope that our dream would soon become a reality. - Perry Diaz in All Voices

Partner organizations in this website while it was actively publishing news excerpts:

Ehem -- the anti-corruption initiative of the Philippine Jesuits echoes the urgent call for cultural reform against corruption in the Philippines.
Ehem aims at bringing people to a renewed sensitivity to the evil of corruption and its prevalence in ordinary life. It seeks ultimately to make them more intensely aware of their own vulnerability to corruption, their own uncritiqued, often unwitting practice of corruption in daily life.
Ehem hopes to bring people, in the end, to a commitment to live the way of Ehemplo --- critical of corruption, intent on integrity!

Management Association of the Philippines
MAP is a management organization committed to promoting management excellence. The members of the MAP represent a cross-section of CEOs, COOs and other top executives from the top local and multinational companies operating in the country, including some top officials of government and the academe.

iPro supports the process of reducing corruption by seeking synergies between Government of the Republic of the Philippines agencies and civil society at all levels.

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