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Business bigwigs keeping an eye on pork barrel scam case
(Updated 9:23 a.m., Sept. 19) The latest string of plunder and malversation charges the Aquino administration filed against senators, congressmen, their supposed accomplices, and Janet Lim Napoles the alleged mastermind in the multibillion-peso scheme known as the pork barrel scam sheds a positive light upon the anti-corruption drive espoused by the President along the campaign trail to the May 2010 elections, but all will come to naught unless prosecution gets a guilty verdict on those who deserve to pay for their dastardly deeds, business leaders interviewed by GMA News Online said.
Good governance is good economics. This leadership tenet has been echoed by President Benigno Aquino III's economic team time and again as key to spuring growth, attracting investments, and alleviating poverty.
Business leaders are keeping a keen eye on the latest government initiative against graft and corruption – long identified as vital to shoring up much-needed domestic and foreign investments.
While noting that significant inroads have been made against corruption, business bigwigs warn that efforts should not lose steam, as we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg.
“Without a doubt, implementing rule of law will improve investor confidence,” John Forbes, senior adviser at the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines Inc., said.
Under the “Daang Matuwid” platform, the Aquino administration vowed to cleanse the government of corrupt officials.
Whistleblower Ben Hur Luy, left, confers with Justice Secretary Leila De Lima during a Senate hearing on the pork barrel scam. Photo by Benjie Castro.
'Doesn't mean much'
But all this will come to naught unless prosecution gets a quick and convincing guilty verdict on those who deserve to pay for their dastardly deeds, according to a financial executive.
BDO Capital and Investment Corp. president Eduardo Francisco said this "doesn't mean much until the courts declare them guilty."
"Business sentiment is watchful and hopeful for a quick resolution," Francisco, former president of Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines, noted.
The latest cases against corrupt government officials and their cohorts also sheds a positive light on the campaign trail promise of then-Senator Benigno Aquino III in the run up to the May 2010 elections which catapulted him to the presidency.
The filing of charges "will convince the private sector not to be too negative," said University of Asia and the Pacific School of Economics Dean Peter Lee U. He cautions, however, that it's too soon to celebrate and that all eyes are on the case and its outcome.
Last year, the Senate sitting as impeachment court unseated then-Chief Justice Renato Corona for betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Philippine Constitution.
Now, the Administration is making legislative and executive officials face the courts.
On Monday, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, with the National Bureau of Investigation, filed plunder raps against the alleged mastermind of the so-called pork barrel scam Janet Lim-Napoles, three senators and two former members of the House of Representatives in the Office of the Ombudsman.
Those charged have been accused of profiting from the funneling of billions in pork barrel funds into supposed bogus NGOs.
De Lima noted that there are still more charges to be filed in the next two weeks.
A welcome development
Henry Schumacher, executive vice president of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, noted the business community is taking this development in a positive light.
“We welcome the filing of these cases and trust that the Ombudsman and the Sandiganbayan will do their share that justice is delivered without delay,” he said.
But a fast resolution seems to be a challenge. Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales has admitted it may take up to a year before formal cases are filed against those allegedly involved in the pork funds scam before the anti-graft court.
While the drafting of final cases are in the works, public clamor to abolish pork barrel are mounting.
At its recent meeting, Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX) president Judith Lopez said the organization is for the abolition of the pork barrel, formally known as the Priority Development Assistance Fund.
A massive rally – dubbed the Million People March – was staged at the Luneta Park on August 26 as a call to abolish the pork barrel system. This was followed by the EDSA Tayo prayer vigil on September 11 and mobilization of several groups in Luneta on September 13.
Religious groups, meanwhile, are setting another demonstration on October 25. — BM/VS, GMA News
Good governance is good economics. This leadership tenet has been echoed by President Benigno Aquino III's economic team time and again as key to spuring growth, attracting investments, and alleviating poverty.
Business leaders are keeping a keen eye on the latest government initiative against graft and corruption – long identified as vital to shoring up much-needed domestic and foreign investments.
While noting that significant inroads have been made against corruption, business bigwigs warn that efforts should not lose steam, as we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg.
“Without a doubt, implementing rule of law will improve investor confidence,” John Forbes, senior adviser at the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines Inc., said.
Under the “Daang Matuwid” platform, the Aquino administration vowed to cleanse the government of corrupt officials.
Whistleblower Ben Hur Luy, left, confers with Justice Secretary Leila De Lima during a Senate hearing on the pork barrel scam. Photo by Benjie Castro.
'Doesn't mean much'
But all this will come to naught unless prosecution gets a quick and convincing guilty verdict on those who deserve to pay for their dastardly deeds, according to a financial executive.
BDO Capital and Investment Corp. president Eduardo Francisco said this "doesn't mean much until the courts declare them guilty."
"Business sentiment is watchful and hopeful for a quick resolution," Francisco, former president of Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines, noted.
The latest cases against corrupt government officials and their cohorts also sheds a positive light on the campaign trail promise of then-Senator Benigno Aquino III in the run up to the May 2010 elections which catapulted him to the presidency.
The filing of charges "will convince the private sector not to be too negative," said University of Asia and the Pacific School of Economics Dean Peter Lee U. He cautions, however, that it's too soon to celebrate and that all eyes are on the case and its outcome.
Last year, the Senate sitting as impeachment court unseated then-Chief Justice Renato Corona for betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Philippine Constitution.
Now, the Administration is making legislative and executive officials face the courts.
On Monday, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, with the National Bureau of Investigation, filed plunder raps against the alleged mastermind of the so-called pork barrel scam Janet Lim-Napoles, three senators and two former members of the House of Representatives in the Office of the Ombudsman.
Among those charged with plunder are Senator Ramon Revilla Jr., former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, and former Senate Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, Masbate Governor and former lawmaker Rizalina Seachon-Lanete, and former Association of Philippine Electric Cooperatives party-list Rep. Edgar Valdez.
Napoles was charged with plunder, malversation, and corruption of public officials through the use of bogus non-government organizations that supposedly obtained government money from the pork barrel funds of lawmakers for ghost projects.
Those charged have been accused of profiting from the funneling of billions in pork barrel funds into supposed bogus NGOs.
De Lima noted that there are still more charges to be filed in the next two weeks.
A welcome development
Henry Schumacher, executive vice president of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, noted the business community is taking this development in a positive light.
“We welcome the filing of these cases and trust that the Ombudsman and the Sandiganbayan will do their share that justice is delivered without delay,” he said.
But a fast resolution seems to be a challenge. Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales has admitted it may take up to a year before formal cases are filed against those allegedly involved in the pork funds scam before the anti-graft court.
The Ampatuan massacre case is glaring example of delayed justice involving the murder of 57 persons, including 32 media workers, in strife-torn Maguindanao on Nov. 23, 2009.
Considered as the worst election-related violence in Philippine history, none of the alleged perpetrators has been found guilty so far even though the supposed mastermind Andal Ampatuan Sr. and his son and namesake Andal Jr., who was identified and placed on the crime scene by witnesses as the lead perpetrator together with a group of private militia men, are in custody.
Just over a half of the over 190 suspects are also behind bars, and the others remain at large as of this posting. The case is being closely monitored by international human rights groups.
While the drafting of final cases are in the works, public clamor to abolish pork barrel are mounting.
At its recent meeting, Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX) president Judith Lopez said the organization is for the abolition of the pork barrel, formally known as the Priority Development Assistance Fund.
A massive rally – dubbed the Million People March – was staged at the Luneta Park on August 26 as a call to abolish the pork barrel system. This was followed by the EDSA Tayo prayer vigil on September 11 and mobilization of several groups in Luneta on September 13.
Religious groups, meanwhile, are setting another demonstration on October 25. — BM/VS, GMA News
