Office of the Ombudsman launches Integrity Development Contest

How do we teach kids to fight corruption?
 
The usual way one might think is to tell children what to do or what not to do, what is bad and what is wrong.
 
But for Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, it starts with listening to children and explaining the concepts to them using simple terms.
 
“By translating big words like integrity, transparency, and accountability into plain and simple words like being honest, open, upright and answerable to one’s mistakes, the concept of good governance is as easy to grasp as A-B-C,” Morales said during the launched of the Integrity Development Contest on Friday at the SM North Edsa.

The contest is just one of the activities organized by the Office of the Ombudsman, under its Integrity Caravan, celebrating the Office of the Ombudsman’s 25th anniversary. Other activities include a lecture series, several fora and a university tour.

The Integrity Development Contest itself aims to connect with the youth, through: an essay writing contest for children 10 to 12 years whose parents were active public officials or employees; poster design contest for teenagers aged 13 to 17, who are currently enrolled to any public or private school in the country, and; video-making contest for young adults aged 18 to 22, who are currently enrolled to any public or private school in the country.

Prizes include cash amounts and tablets

“The youth must be initiated to the fundamentals of civic duty and good governance at the earliest possible opportunity,” said Morales. “Ideally, way before they learn how to use cellphones and send text messages, or go online and play video games.”

“We must always remember that institutional integrity starts with personal integrity,” she added.

After the launch, a scuffle broke out between reporters and Morales security men and security officers of SM, man-handling and preventing the journalists from asking questions of the Ombudsman. — DVM, GMA News