Malacañang to DPWH: Shape up vs graft

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang will leave to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) how it would shape up against graft, after another survey showing it is perceived as the most corrupt agency. Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said Thursday there are already mechanisms in place in the government to stop graft and corruption in transactions. “Well, that’s something that the DPWH has to answer and explain and I think do something (about it) in order to avoid that," he said in an interview on dzXL radio. But he also said there is already a transparency board, as well as non-government organizations (NGOs) keeping watch over the DPWH’s dealings. “So I hope that will change the perception of corruption in the DPWH," he said. On the other hand, the Bureau of Customs insisted it had achieved “progress" against graft, saying it had previously been on top of the list of agencies perceived as most corrupt. Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales said the Customs Bureau’s “fall" from first to sixth place is due to reforms it has done. He also said they are working to make the BOC a “paperless office" with relevant output posted online. “Ibig sabihin doon ang ginagawa naming capacity building very effective [It means our capacity building is effective]," he said in an separate interview on dzXL. In a survey conducted last February by Pulse Asia, the DPWH is viewed as the most corrupt government agency while the Department of Education tops the list of least corrupt agencies. “For 32% of Filipinos, the DPWH is the most corrupt agency of the Philippine government. In second place is the Philippine National Police (PNP) with 21% considering it as most corrupt. Essentially the same percentages (15% to 19%) cite the Department of Agriculture (DA), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Department of Education (DepEd), and Bureau of Customs (BOC)," it said. But it said that while the DepEd is identified as most corrupt by 15 percent of Filipinos, 20 percent deem it as one of the least corrupt government agencies in the country. Additionally, while only 8 percent did not consider any government agency as graft-ridden, 33 percent did not identify any agency as having hardly any or no corruption at all. The survey also said four of five people who have had a personal brush with corruption opt to keep quiet about it. Pulse Asia said that while “only" 14 percent of some 1,200 respondents have witnessed an incidence of corruption, 81 percent of those who did chose to keep quiet. “The option to keep silent may appear to be the most reasonable action to take in light of the experiences of the whistleblowers in publicized cases," it said. Such is an act resorted to by 59 percent to 91 percent across geographic areas and socio-economic classes, it said. It cited the case of Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr., who has been suffering from harassment since he came out to bare details of the $329.48-million ZTE broadband network deal mess. The survey also showed more than half of Filipinos, or 53 percent, are not satisfied with the anti-graft efforts of the Arroyo government. “A majority of Filipinos (53%) is critical of the Arroyo administration’s efforts to fight corruption in government – the only majority disapproval rating obtained by the national administration in February 2009. On the other hand, 21% of Filipinos are appreciative of the administration’s anti-corruption initiatives while 26% are ambivalent on the matter. These figures do not differ significantly from those obtained by the Arroyo administration in October 2008," it said. - GMANews.TV