Governance

The plunder case looks at the senators’ alleged commissions, while the graft case focuses on the senators’ illegal diversion of funds to fake NGOs MANILA, Philippines – At least two cases against 3 Philippine senators and their conduits believed to be involved in the controversial pork barrel scam have already been officially filed before the…

Of 114 Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCCs), only 50 had dividends. They total P32.31 billion. MANILA, Philippines – President Benigno Aquino III hailed the increase in dividends of Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCCs) since the start of his administration, but of 114 GOCCs, less than half had dividends at all.

From the Governance Commission for Government Owned or Controlled Corporations The number of Government-Owned or -Controlled Corporations (GOCCs) that remit earnings, or dividends, to the national coffers continue to increase according to the Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG).

MANILA, Philippines — Which member of President Benigno Aquino’s official family has the most relatives in government? Budget Secretary Florencio Abad and Environment Secretary Ramon Paje top the list with nine each, based on their statements of assets, liabilities and net worth for 2013.

Andaya got biggest kickback amounting to P255M Fifth of a series MANILA, Philippines—Cabinet secretaries in the Arroyo administration and officials of state-owned corporations—some of them still holding the same positions to this day—received a total of P820 million in commissions in schemes to siphon congressional pork barrel funds to ghost projects engineered by Janet Lim-Napoles, computer…

THE GOVERNMENT is forming a team that will address private sector complaints relating to corruption and red tape. The European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP), on its Web site, said it discussed with the Office of the Ombudsman last May 8 the conceptual framework for the establishment of an Investment Ombudsman Team (IOT).…

‘How does one answer allegations in an affidavit which is unsigned, which has not been sworn to?’ MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang questioned the credibility of the list implicating 3 Cabinet secretaries of alleged involvement in the multi-billion pork barrel scam, and dismissed it as a “mere scrap of paper.”

President Aquino delivers a speech at the NAIA Terminal 2 upon his arrival yesterday from Myanmar where he attended the 24th Asean summit.

MANILA – Jueteng whistle-blower Sandra Cam has a list of lawmakers who benefited from the P10-billion pork barrel scam and 80 percent of the names on her list are allies of President Benigno Aquino.

How is that for a headline? P-Noy is always urging columnists to be positive about the country. At long last we landed among the top 10 in a list prepared by the prestigious magazine, The Economist. And we are ahead of Thailand and Indonesia too.

From the time President Benigno Aquino 3rd was sworn into office on June 30, 2010, and for nearly four years running, the Aquino administration has been implementing a political program and strategy that is called in Washington DC, as “the Permanent Campaign.”

Those long lines of people seeking an NBI clearance used to snake from the top floor of MegaMall to the basement where NBI has a small receiving office. At the Robinson’s Galleria mall, I am told people line up as early as 3 a.m. for a number to get that precious NBI document.

Philippines president cracking the whip on corrupt officials to curb graft The former Georgian president is enjoying some downtime after almost 10 tumultuous years in office, during which he famously disbanded the hated traffic police to root out graft. If Saakashvili is hankering for a new challenge he might find it in Manila, where the…

MANILA, Philippines – The Civil Service Commission (CSC) said 67 government offices failed in the anti-red tape test it conducted in 2013. The offices of the Land Registration Authority (LRA), Land Transportation Office (LTO) and National Prosecution Service (NPS) of the Department of Justice (DOJ) are the worst when it comes to frontline service delivery,…

WASHINGTON – More than $410 billion in illicit money crossed the borders of the Philippines from 1960 to 2011, with customs fraud related to imported goods surging in recent years, according to a study by a US-based anti-graft watchdog group released on Monday.

MANILA, Philippines – The satisfaction ratings of top government officials and institutions dropped in the last quarter of 2013, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

Philhealth sits on top of the list of GOCCs that gave fat bonuses to their officials … The Palace defended bonuses granted in 2012 to employees of government-owned and controlled corporations after the Commission on Audit (COA) found that the P2-billion incentives released lacked basis.

MANILA, Philippines – “Betrayal of trust and confidence…grave abuse of authority.” This, according to state auditors, is what Philippine Health Insurance Corporation committed against its members when its officials and employees paid themselves a total of P87.79 million in bonuses, allowances, and reimbursements in 2003 and 2004.

MANILA – More business executives in the country said they saw “a lot” of corruption in the government last year, more than in 2012, a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey revealed yesterday.

An agency overseeing the compensation in government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) said the Commission on Audit (COA) had not issued a final notice of disallowance to 31 GOCCs that gave a total of P2.313 billion in bonuses and allowances to executives and employees in 2012.

More top execs see a lot of corruption More than half of the executives from about 1,000 enterprises in Metro Manila and six other urban areas in the country said last year that there was “a lot” of corruption in government, a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey has found.

COA issues order to 31 GOCCs Officials and employees of 31 government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) have been ordered to refund the government all bonuses and allowances totaling P2.313 billion whose payment in 2012 was deemed unauthorized by the Commission on Audit (COA).

MANILA, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) — The lack of jobs and corruption are major factors behind the slow decline in Philippine poverty rate, analysts said Monday.

MANILA, Philippines – Gabriel Casuga had always wanted to become a doctor. But not just any doctor. After watching on national television the life story of former Senator Juan Flavier – who himself was a doctor serving in the barrios (rural villages) prior to becoming Health Secretary – Casuga resolved to serve the barrios as…

We need a way to measure whether our nations are progressing, in terms of the real things that matter to real people, writes Michael Green. We need a way to measure whether our nations are progressing, in terms of the real things that matter to real people. (Madelene Cronje, M&G)

MANILA – The National Competitiveness Council (NCC) expects the Philippines to improve its global ranking in terms of ease of doing business after the government slashed some steps, cut the time and reduced the costs of putting up an enterprise.

SOLON SAYS AQUINO’S FAVORED PARTYLIST GOT P4.05B The release of the Commission on Audit (CoA) special report on the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) was calculated to enrage the people on particular lawmakers who have received excessive funds during the previous administration, but it actually was meant to cover up irregularities in the PDAF’s release…

Why is Congress playing deaf to the growing clamor to abolish the annual P24-billion pork barrel? Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares said Sunday that with the release of the Commission on Audit (COA) report, the main reason why Congress does not want to investigate the scam has been revealed.

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

Nearly four in 10 Filipinos think corruption in the Philippines has “decreased a little” in the last two years, according to a survey conducted by Transparency International.