RP lacks upright officials to curb corruption - UNDP

MANILA, Philippines - The country has mechanisms in place to curb corruption but it lacks upright public officials to implement them, said Transparency International-Philippines (TIP), following a study published last week by the United Nation Development Program (UNDP). Titled "Tackling Corruption, Transforming Lives," the study noted that addressing corruption would not be a daunting task if appropriate measures were taken by the government. Some of the UN agency’s proposals to curb corruption included: * joining with international efforts such as the United Nations Convention Against Corruption and the Stolen Assets Recovery Initiatives; * establishing benchmarks of quality to judge the success of anti-corruption agencies; * strengthening the civil service; * encouraging the establishment of codes of conduct in the private sector; * establishing the right to information and exploiting new technology that could break the information monopoly of corrupt official; and * supporting citizen action. In an interview with BusinessWorld, TIP Chairman Dolores L. Español, however, said the UNDP’s recommendations were superficial because tackling corruption in the Philippines needs more in-depth analysis and evaluation. "We have adopted all those [UNDP] proposals but still corruption is still as worse as before. The country is, in fact, among the firsts to adopt the stolen assets initiative," Ms. Español said. Based on TIP’s corruption perception index, the Philippines ranked eight among the most corrupt nations in the world. In addition, the global corruption survey 2007 showed that 32% of respondents said that they have paid bribes in the past year to obtain a service. While the proposals may not work for the Philippines, Ms. Español said other countries such as Singapore and Hong Kong were successful in their anti-corruption advocacy because "they are ruled by people who have political will." "The Philippines lack government officials who are willing to reform themselves," she added. Malacañang has maintained that it is intensifying its drive to combat corruption. Still, Ms. Español said that more than the partnership, laws and codes of conduct, the country needs sincere leadership who will consistently implement laws. She noted that the country is facing "personalized corruption" where some law enforcers ignore the law because they know they can get away with it. "The Philippines does not have complex laws. Public officials just treat them subjectively that is why people are always left in the dark," Ms. Español said. The UNDP report raised the complexity of laws as one of the factors that influence corruption in a country. - Kristine Jane R. Liu, BusinessWorld