Governance

A report by Berlin-based Transparency International shows corruption in the Philippines decreased over the last two years.

MANILA, Philippines – Re-electionist Sen. Francis Escudero yesterday lashed out at the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) and the Department of Energy (DOE) for granting excessive perks to their personnel.

MANILA, Philippines – Some 150 government offices failed a test for red tape conducted by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) last year. Among the offices that flunked in the Report Card Survey (RCS) published in The STAR yesterday were the Government Service Insurance System (27 branches), Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Butuan City branch),…

Sixto Donato C. MacasaetSixto Donato C. MacasaetAround two weeks ago (third week of March 2013), I was at a regional workshop of civil society organizations (CSOs) to evaluate the Bottom-Up Budgeting (BUB) process for the year 2014.

The corruption and lack of transparency continuing to plague the Philippines are having a negative impact on trade and investments, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) said in its latest report released Tuesday.

Jollibee Group is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year and targeting opening its historic 800th Jollibee store in the second half of 2013, Jollibee chief operating officer Ernesto “Ato” Tanmantiong said in an exclusive interview with The Philippine STAR. The Burger King chain in the Philippines is also now 54-percent owned by Jollibee, with 29…

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has turned over P831.8 million in funds to several departments and agencies, state colleges and universities (SUCs), and government-owned or controlled corporations (GOCCs).

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has imposed sanctions against 42 companies and 38 people found to have engaged in corrupt practices while implementing ADB-financed projects last year.

We have come a long way, no doubt, with President Aquino’s “daang matuwid” and “no wang-wang” policy and all they symbolize. But the pursuit of good governance is far from complete. So far, the focus has dominantly been on people in public service, especially those in positions of authority where having the wrong people can…

THE AQUINO administration which has expressed strong commitment to openness and fiscal responsibility has made monitoring of government projects even more difficult. At the same time, it has reneged on its promise to improve governance by building up public institutions. It has weakened rather than strengthened budget rules.

MANILA, Philippines – Inflows and outflows stemming from money laundering and terrorist financing activities could result in financial instability, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said as it cited the need for country policies to address these challenges.

PUBLIC SATISFACTION with the Aquino administration has rebounded after a two-quarter decline, according to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey that also found the government scoring better on specific issues. The poll, conducted last Aug. 24-27, found 72% of respondents satisfied, 10% dissatisfied, and 17% ambivalent with the administration’s performance, yielding a “very good” net…

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MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has joined Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam in adopting of the ASEAN Corporate Governance Scorecard through the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD).

How many times have you been attracted by those blaring advertisements on fantastic promo airline fares, going as low as one peso or even “free”? How many times have you tried to book a ticket hoping to grab one of those great bargains—and then find out that they’re really no big bargain after all, if…

American companies in the country are keen on expanding in the Philippines but still view corruption as a major concern, a recent survey showed. Results of the Asean Business Outlook Survey showed that 83 percent (58 percent to expand and 25 percent to expand significantly) of the respondents indicated that their companies were planning to…

Senate investigation in aid of legislation on the anomalies, crimes and excesses (ACES) and human rights violations of postmaster general Maria Josefina Mendoza Dela Cruz against the employees of the Philippine Postal Corporation is urgently requested by PhilPost employees organizations’ leaders.

The Office of the Ombudsman has won the graft case filed against a labor arbiter after the Sandiganbayan found him guilty of violating Republic Act No. 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

MANILA, Philippines – The Sandiganbayan has sentenced an arbiter of the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) in Cebu City to a maximum of nine years in jail for graft.

Only local governments that have been conferred the Seal of Good Housekeeping (SGH) will be allowed to secure a loan from banks and other financial institutions, Secretary Jesse Robredo of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) declared. Robredo said the Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF) has issued a circular that listed…

Manila, Philippines – Inside the blue-carpeted session hall of the Senate, on a rainy Tuesday afternoon, a man named Renato Corona was convicted for betrayal of public trust.

MANILA, Philippines – Growing investor confidence in the country was recently affirmed by the improved ranking of the Philippines in the 2012 Global Real Estate Transparency Index, a biennial Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) worldwide survey that assesses transparency in 97 real estate markets by weighting 83 different factors.

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MANILA, Philippines – The 138,825-member Philippine National Police (PNP) has deep-rooted institutional deficiencies and continues to suffer from a widely held and accurate public perception that corruption remains a problem, according to the latest annual US State Department human rights report on the Philippines. The Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011 released yesterday…

Very much at the heart of the current impeachment proceedings is a search for a definition of “betrayal of public trust.” But as Justice Conchita Carpio Morales said, in the impeachment case against Chief Justice Hilario Davide, defining impeachable offenses is beyond the scope of judicial power. Hence, whether or not the offenses allegedly committed…

ABAD ADMITS USING ASSESSED VALUE ON PROPERTIES The counsels fop Chief Justice Renato Corona yesterday alleged members of the Aquino Cabinet regularly flout the law requiring disclosure of assets and liabilities despite the executive department’s insistence of using the same law to persecute the head magistrate.

Members of the upper chamber have expressed their opposition to the new statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) format the Civil Service Commission (CSC) has required of them.

Claiming it is violative of their constitutional rights, members of the House minority bloc joined forces with majority camp in the lower chamber to oppose the new statement of assets, liabilities and networth (SALn) the Civil Service Commission (CSC) has required of them.

OPPOSITION and administration lawmakers crossed party lines Wednesday to protest the administration’s plan to require all public officials and employees to include their gross income, personal and family expenses and income taxes paid in their statements of assets, liabilities and net worth, calling it a “blatant intrusion” into their constitutional right to privacy.

MANILA, Philippines – The Aquino government continues to adopt a better and more transparent compensation and incentives system based on the performance of public institutions and of individual civil servants, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said yesterday.