Governance

By Edith Regalado (The Philippine Star), October 29, 2016 DAVAO CITY, Philippines – On President Duterte’s orders, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will conduct lifestyle check on ranking officials and other government workers. Duterte made the announcement upon his arrival at the Davao International Airport Thursday night from a three-day state visit to Japan.

By Helen Flores (The Philippine Star), October 29, 2016 MANILA, Philippines – The Cabinet’s net satisfaction rating in the first three months of President Duterte’s government surpassed the rating of the Cabinets of past administrations during the same period, according to the latest survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

By Richmond Mercurio (The Philippine Star), October 14, 2016 MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) submitted yesterday a list of its proposed resolutions to the current administration.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines ranks second best among countries belonging to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) when it comes to good corporate governance, with companies owned by some of the country’s richest families leading the pack.

MANILA, Philippines – Foreign direct investments (FDIs) in the Philippines have the potential to grow five times its present size should corruption and red tape be eliminated, a private sector-led group pushing for integrity standards said.

In recent years, citizens’ concerns about allegations of corruption in the public sector have become more visible and widespread. From São Paulo to Johannesburg, citizens have taken to the streets against graft. In countries like Chile, Guatemala, India, Iraq, Malaysia and Ukraine, they are sending a clear and loud message to their leaders: Address corruption!

On October 1, 2015, President Benigno S. Aquino III signed the appointment papers of 27 public servants to various executive offices.

Malou Mangahas, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism PCIJ infographic on the ins and outs of pork barrel misuse. First of a Series MANILA – “KAHINDIK-HINDIK” or horrible in English, was how then Commission on Audit (COA) Chairperson Maria Gracia Pulido-Tan described the corruption in pork that her team of 18 COA Special Audits Office staff…

The Philippines rose by nine notches to rank 51st among 102 countries in the Rule of Law Index 2015, which measures how the rule of law is experienced in practical, everyday situations by ordinary people around the world.

While developing Asia has made great strides toward raising prosperity and reducing poverty during the last three decades, it has not done as well on good governance, which affects public service delivery in areas such as health, education, electricity, and water supply.

The Philippines ranked 51st out of 102 countries in this year’s Rule of Law Index of the World Justice Project, up nine spots from its previous standing.

NBI AWAITS DE LIMA’S APPROVAL OF CHARGES Charges of graft and malversation in connection with the P10-billion pork barrel racket have been prepared against Sen. Gregorio Honasan II, Secretary Joel Villanueva, Rep. Rufus Rodriguez and five other lawmakers, two sources in the Department of Justice (DOJ) told the Inquirer on Monday.

This is perhaps the most insidious part of our present Constitution – we have a government developed from a system that does not represent the people or recognize the sovereignty of the people. Today, being Easter Sunday, we hope to encourage Filipinos to rise up for a new life and society for the Philippines.

I like P-Noy’s chutzpah when he told a business conference last week that, we “ain’t seen nothing yet” in terms of the country’s economy. Then again, at the risk of sounding negative, I would like to echo the sentiment of a large part of the business community: we are still waiting to see much of…

That’s probably what Budget Secretary Florencio told congressmen in December to get them to stop delaying things and pass quickly the 2015 General Appropriations Act. image001With this new scheme of skirting the Supreme Court rulings declaring President Benigno Aquino’s pork-barrel fund system and Disbursement Acceleration Plan scheme unconstitutional, the 2015 budget is, in effect, a…

MANILA, Philippines — The European Union on Tuesday renewed its seven-year support strategy to the Philippines and more than doubled the figure for its development aid for 2014 to 2020.

MANILA – The Philippines improves a bit in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index, which captures the perception of corruption in the public sector by business people and country experts outside the country.

MANILA, Philippines – Fewer Filipino families give bribes or “grease money” to government officials and they do so usually only after being asked to, a 2013 survey commissioned by the Office of the Ombudsman shows.

WHEN THE LATE President Cory Aquino took power in 1986, she was shocked by the sheer number of government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs). If my memory serves me right (sorry, but it’s been a quarter of a century), Mrs. Aquino succeeded in cutting the number of GOCCs significantly as part of her overall public sector…

WITH POLITICIANS at the helm, is the MRT providing bad service, risky trips, and crowded trains to a suffering public? Check. How about the airports? Stinking toilets? Poor security? Scene of crimes, from assassination to petty theft? Long lines everywhere? Check. Check. Check. http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Opinion&title=our-incompetent-political-class&id=94812

Report sees reduction in gov’t desire to invigorate economy The 2016 presidential election season may have inadvertently come early for the Philippines, putting President Aquino’s remaining reform agenda at “serious” risk, according to New York-based think tank Global Source.

MANILA, Philippines – A non-government organization identified with at least two Cabinet officials has apparently cornered the bulk of projects to be funded by a multibillion-peso lump sum provision in the proposed P2.606-trillion national budget for 2015, an opposition lawmaker said yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – Government employees yesterday launched a campaign pressing President Aquino to account for the P178.7-billion Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), which they claimed were mostly sourced from their benefits and pension.

No employer can just terminate the employment of regular employees without just cause or due process. And those who are accusing the President with any impeachable offense should better make sure that their hands are clean. In the same manner, those who are asking the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision should also be prepared…

If PNoy has his Disbursement Acceleration Program, the Social Security System has its own version of DAP—disaster assistance program for victims of natural and man-made calamities.

MANILA, Philippines – Thousands of unemployed youth and other vulnerable workers now lead much better lives because of the Disbursement Allocation Program (DAP), according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

President Aquino will address the people today (Monday), via national television, starting at 6 p.m., according to Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma, from Malacañang. He is expected to explain the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) which has been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

THE Supreme Court’s justices become richer in 2013 as shown by their Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth, which the 15-member bench had agreed to release last month following the petitions by several media outfits.

Public satisfaction with the government’s performance in the first quarter of 2014 fell to its lowest since May 2012, a new survey by pollster Social Weather Stations showed. SWS, which posted the results on its media partner BusinessWorld Tuesday night, said this was the lowest since the +44 net satisfaction score it got in May…

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala earns from government P4.2 million (US$96,333) in 2013 MANILA, Philippines – Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala remains the top grosser among Cabinet officials in 2013, with recorded earnings of over P4.2 milllion (US$96,333), a Commission on Audit (COA) report showed.