Robredo to prioritize passage of Full Disclosure Bill if elected president

If she wins in Eleksyon 2022, Vice President Leni Robredo said on Tuesday that she will prioritize the approval of the Full Disclosure Bill (FDB), which will ensure accountability and transparency in government agencies.

During the 10th Arangkada Philippines Forum, Robredo said the government must be "trustworthy" to address the gaps in the roadmap to eliminate poverty and hunger in the country.

She said by being trustworthy, the government will gain confidence from investors.

"First, the government should be trustworthy. When rules are unevenly applied; when they are changed in the middle of the game to favor one interest over another; when the government cannot be trusted to keep its word, then the economic environment becomes unpredictable. It is this unpredictability that breeds a lack of confidence and keeps investments away," Robredo, who is gunning for the presidency, said.

"Conversely, a credible and trustworthy government inspires confidence because investors will know that rules will be followed, and that those who don't follow these rules will be held to account. Outcomes are more predictable, projections more reliable, and horizons come into clearer view," she added.

In restoring trust, Robredo said the government and its workers should have "unquestionable integrity" and ensure that public servants are transparent and accountable.

"As a professionalized bureaucracy ensures that public servants will have nothing to hide, institutionalizing transparency and accountability will ensure that they will have nowhere to hide," she said.

To push for accountability and transparency, the Vice President said she vows to prioritize the passage of the FDB, which she filed in 2013 when she was a congresswoman.

"For example, as a representative in Congress, I filed a Full Disclosure Bill—something that my late husband already put in practice in Naga when he was mayor, with financial transactions and documents of public interest readily accessible by the scrutinizing public. This is something I intend to prioritize should I be elected," said Robredo.

The measure sought to require  all government agencies, including its instrumentalities, to disclose their budget and financial transactions without any requests from the public. It will allow people to view the data without any issues on technicalities and bureaucracy.

Jail corrupt gov't execs

Meanwhile, Senator Manny Pacquiao, another presidential aspirant, again vowed to jail corrupt officials in the government, which he tagged as the "cancer" in the Philippines.

"Lalabanan po natin ang kanser  na ito sa ating bansa. Pagsasama-samahin natin sila sa kulungan. (We will fight against the cancer of our country. They will be in jail)," he said during the forum.

Pacquiao also said it was time to stop tolerating the acts of corruption, which worsened poverty in the Philippines.

"Our country and our people have remained poor and will remain poor if we cannot take out corruption from its roots. Matagal na tayong pinagsasamantalahan ng mga  kawatan sa pamahalaan dahil patuloy natin sila binibigyan ng pagkakataon (Corrupt officials have been abusing us for so long because we are always giving them a chance to do so)," said Pacquiao.

The senator also pushed for a corruption-free government to lower corporate tax and decrease prices in basic goods.

"Kapag walang korapsyon, gaganda ang investment climate... Mapababa sa 50% ang corporate tax. Matutustusan ang mga proyekto na nagpababa sa presyo ng kuryente at 'di lamang sa kuryente sa lahat ng mga pangunahing bilihin at mapabilis ang internet signal," Pacquiao said.

(Without corruption, the investment climate will improve. Corporate tax may get lower by 50%. Government can fund projects pushing to lower rates of electricity and other basic needs, as well as enhance internet speed.)—AOL, GMA News