Fight corruption by telling the truth, government urged

Anti-corruption advocates called on government officials Tuesday to exercise greater transparency in dealing with the public, saying the personal crusade of President Aquino against anomalies provides the best chance for the country to fight the problem. “This is the perfect time because we have an honest President," said Heidi Mendoza of the Commission on Audit. “This is the only time we can best pursue anti-corruption efforts." Mendoza, a former whistleblower who exposed irregularities in military transactions, was one of the guests at the closing forum of the Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project. The one-year project worked with citizen watchdog groups and came out with reports that promote government accountability in public finance. “The only meaningful way to engage with the constituency is to provide them with information," Interior and Local Governments Secretary Jesse Robredo told the forum. He said 90 per cent of the country’s 1,600 local government units have complied with the new requirement to provide full disclosure of their budgets for 2011. Commenting on the transparency project’s tagline “Pera Natin ‘To" (This is our money), Robredo urged the public to fight corruption “not because we own the money but because there are better outcomes to be had" in using government funds wisely. Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, chairman of the senate blue ribbon committee, said a key factor in the anti-corruption efforts is the passage of the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill, which he described as the “cornerstone of transparency." President Aquino did not include the FOI bill among the 13 priority measures presented by Malacañang to Congress leaders during the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council meeting a week ago. “Sayang if we don’t pass this bill," said Guingona. The president needs to help sustain the efforts of government institutions in promoting transparency, said another former whistleblower, Rodolfo “Jun" Lozada. “There must be arms and legs to support his personal stand," he asserted. Citizens’ participatory audit Lozada underscored the important role of community pressure in shielding public officials from the so-called “Lucifer effect" or their tendency to commit crimes “because they were ordered to do so." A former technocrat who exposed anomalies in the NBN-ZTE deal during the Arroyo administration, Lozada urged public servants to tell the public what they know about corruption cases. “Do not bring the truth to the grave," he said. Before the end of the year, the Commission on Audit is set to launch a new program called the “citizens’ participatory audit" that will provide avenues for the public to gather information and become watchdogs, Chairperson Ma. Gracia Pulido-Tan said. The agency also plans to upload audit reports and update its website to provide users with greater interactivity, Tan added. “Only a vigilant citizenry can ensure public accountability," she said. However, Tan lamented that many ordinary citizens often resort to simple bribery like paying off traffic officers instead of getting a ticket. “Corruption in this country is endemic because we do not like the inconvenience," she observed. “Kulang tayo sa pagmamahal sa bayan. That is why we allow these things to happen to us," Tan said. She urged Filipinos “to inculcate in ourselves love for country" in order to stamp out corruption. — VS, GMA News