Govt defends record on rights, competitiveness

The Arroyo administration was seriously addressing concerns on corruption and human-rights abuses in the country, a Malacañang official said Wednesday, stressing that the government has made gains.

The Philippines dropped in rank from 71 to 87 in The Global Competitiveness Report 2009-2010 prepared by the World Economic Forum (WEF) because of poor infrastructure, labor market and institutions.

The forum, an independent, international organization incorporated as a Swiss nonprofit foundation, ranked 133 economies and cited corruption, inefficient bureaucracy, inadequate infrastructure and policy instability as top problems for the Philippines.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, said in a press briefing that the Arroyo administration was doing its best to address the issues mentioned in the report. He heads the New Millennium Challenge Task Force that aims to curb corruption in the country.

The task force makes regular report to Millennium Challenge Corp., a US-government corporation designed to work with some developing countries like the Philippines.

Officials at the corporation believe that aid is most effective when it reinforces good governance, economic freedom and investments in people. It will decide by yearend whether or not the Philippines will qualify for the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) or compact aid.

Ermita added that in the three meetings that the task force conducted, it asked the heads of the judiciary—the presiding justice of the Court of Appeals and the Sandiganbayan, the court administrators of the Supreme Court, and the Ombudsman—and asked them to hasten the investigation on corruption cases.

Progress presented

The Executive Secretary said that there have been convictions on the corruption cases.

Based on Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC) data, the annual conviction rate of government personnel accused of wrongdoing rose by almost 60 percent in 2007 from only 6 percent in 1987 when commission was created.

From January to June 2007, the commission was able to resolve a total of 66 cases. Of these cases, 31, or 46.97 percent carried punitive recommendations and 35, or 53.03 percent carried nonpunitive recommendations.

The 66 resolved cases involved 92 respondents. Imprisonment for the accused was recommended in 41 cases.

The number of cases against the so-called big fish charged before the Sandiganbayan also rose from 124 in 2004 to 336 in 2005 and 512 in 2006 or an 89-percent increase.

“And we are succeeding,” Ermita said. “I think, with some positive remarks coming from the United Nations Human Rights Council, we continue our efforts to address corruption.” –Angelo S. Samonte, Reporter, Manila Times