The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Sunday it will further intensify its drive in curbing corruption within the agency after being recognized by the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC) as one of the top 10 government agencies complying with its national anti-corruption framework.

The DFA was recently awarded a Certificate of Recognition by the PAGC as one of the most compliant agencies in implementing the Integrity Development Action Plan (IDAP) for the first semester of 2009.

“The DFA, under Secretary Alberto Romulo, has worked hard in implementing reform measures to minimize incidence of wastage and graft in our ranks, and at the same time, raise organizational productivity,” DFA spokesman Ed Malaya told the Manila Bulletin Sunday.

“The IDAP recognition inspires the department and its personnel to work even more in this respect,” Malaya said.

The DFA made it to the sixth category of the award for getting an average of 3.02. Those that fall under the sixth category must have an average of 2.89 to 3.11.

It is the first time the DFA reached the top 10 and at sixth place this year, according to Malaya.

The Certificate of Recognition was received by DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs
Esteban Conejos, Jr., and DFA Acting Assistant Secretary for the Office of Fiscal Management Mario De Leon, Jr. in an awarding ceremony in Malacañang.

The IDAP is the country’s national anti-corruption framework for all government agencies in the country, particularly those in the executive branch of the government and its attached agencies.

It was adopted in December 2004 and was implemented by government agencies in the executive branch of the government in 2005. The IDAP is anchored on Chapter 21 of the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP) for 2004 to 2010.