The government has identified three ways to achieve and maintain good government to more effectively address corruption. These are enforcement, systems, and values.
The area of enforcement would cover lifestyle checks of government officials, which is already in force.
This will involve the amendment of RA 1379, which will be patterned after the US Rico Law by integrating attachment proceedings with the filing of lifestyle check cases.
Enforcement also showcases the Bureau of Customs and the Bureau of Internal Revenue, highlighting an urgent need for a more efficient tax collection system to minimize losses due to corruption and red tape.
Another vital move in this area is the proposal to amend RA 6770 that would strengthen the prosecuting arm of the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB).
This would be similar to Hong Kong Independent Commission Against Crime. The proposed law would allow OMB to hire private prosecutors to litigate before the Sandigandayan.
Systems, on the other hand, would include the improvement of frontline services, automation of elections, implementing the procurement law, pursuing judicial reforms, and administrative re-engineering.
President Arroyo has asked her Cabinet to work closely with the Bishops-Businessmen Conference to craft enforceable anti-corruption programs along four areas of concern:
— To address the need for specially-trained prosecutors and investigators to act on all cases of graft and corruption;
— To involve all sectors at all levels to scrutinize projects that are willfully made transparent, so that the people, especially the poor, can actually see the benefits accruing to them from governance;
— To make clear and available for public scrutiny, without exception unless national security is involved, the terms of bidding of government-funded projects, and all other contracts or agreements of government with the private sector; and
— To ensure transparency, accountability, participation and communication as a vehicle for good governance.
The President has also urged the legislative body’s support to a law on government re-engineering, as well as the need to start discussions on Charter change resolutions.
Under the third aspect of values, the President cited the need to pursue values education in schools and values seminars in institutions. She also cited the organization of Commission on Values to address graft and corruption in the country.
The Commission will be an adhoc body with the President as chair, and members of the private sector as members on a voluntary basis.
Anti-corruption through good government is one of the key reform packages that the President revealed in her July 26 State of the Nation Address.
The other reform packages include job creation through economic growth, social justice and basic needs, education and youth opportunity, and energy independence and savings.
The reform packages are designed to help achieve the Arroyo Administration’s 10-point agenda and national development agenda, which will be fleshed out in the MediumTerm Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP), 20052010.
The President chairs LEDAC by virtue of RA 7640. LEDAC’s regular members are the Vice President, the Executive Secretary, Cabinet members (National Economic and Development Authority and the Departments of Budget and Management, Trade and Industry, Finance, Environment and Natural Resources, National Defense and Interior and Local Government), representatives from the Senate (Senate President, the Senate Pro-Tempore, the Senate Majority Floor Leader, and the Senate Minority Floor Leader) and representatives from the Lower House (House Speaker, Deputy Speakers, House Majority Floor Leader and House Minority Floor Leader).
The private sector, youth and local government units are also represented in the LEDAC.
