Fight vs corruption still work in progress, Palace exec admits

A day after President Benigno Aquino III told delegates at an Asian Development Bank meeting that endemic corruption is coming to an end, Malacañang on Saturday admitted the fight against corruption is still a work in progress. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said this is why the Palace welcomes complaints and information about corruption in government agencies. “We know this is not something that can be solved overnight, we welcome... complaints and information for practices (that are) not in line with the reform agenda,” she said on government-run dzRB radio. She also said it is possible [illegal] transactions in the national government may “not have  gone down completely” at this time. But when asked if the Aquino administration can sustain anti-corruption measures, she said, “yes.” Valte also said the government is still working on making the reforms “systemic” to last even if President Benigno Aquino III will no longer in office. “Ang bagay na ginagawa natin (what wer are doing) is not another policy. We want to make it part of the system and for guidance of future administrations,” she said. On Friday, Aquino assured the ADB’s board of governors in Manila that the financial assistance to the Philippines will not “end up like water leaking through a broken pail.” He highlighted the contrast between the “corrupt” previous administration and the changes being instituted under his watch. “None of us could have imagined how deeply eroded the foundations of government had become, in the nine-and-a-half years of my predecessor.” But Aquino spent a good portion of his speech attacking Arroyo and supposed irregularities under her watch. “The message, for nine and a half years, was: Nice guys finish last. To finish first, you had to lack conscience, exhibit a certain degree of shamelessness, and be an expert at giving handshakes with one hand, while picking pockets with the other,” he said. Meanwhile, Valte hit back at a reported claim by the camp of former President Gloria Arroyo – Aquino’s immediate predecessor – that he was making her a scapegoat. Arroyo’s lawyer Ferdinand Topacio was quoted as chiding Aquino for resorting to finger-pointing, and for making Arroyo a scapegoat for his failure to show anything after two years. Topacio was also quoted as saying Aquino should be man enough to take responsibility for the failings they may have inflicted upon the people. “Who is accountable for that? Who do we hold accountable, that is a simple question that has to be answered,” Valte countered. “That is expected, that is something we will see,” she added, referring to Topacio’s claims. — LBG, GMA News