Governance

THIS week’s release of corruption survey results by the Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC) brought back memories of this writer’s stint in Ma-lacañang. The annual poll prompted much downplaying by Palace officials, especially when the Philippines’ corruption score and ranking rose.

Too many Filipinos may be turning cynical, going by the latest release of Pulse Asia on corruption, with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) now topping the list of “most corrupt” government agencies, with the military seen by almost five out of every two Filipinos (48.9 percent) as the most corrupt government agency.

Empowering the Filipino People MANILA, Philippines – We cannot overemphasize the importance of good governance and good government in defeating mass poverty – particularly now that financial crises, as in mid-1997, have dampened optimistic expectations about globalization and growth in the face of economic recession, calamities/ climate change, and violent uprisings in the Middle East…

MANILA, Philippines –  An anti-bribery group in the United Kingdom said yesterday corruption is a barrier to investment and distorts the economy of a country.

A BILL backed by the Liberal Party has been filed to “democratize the power of the purse” by giving civil society groups equal footing with lawmakers in crafting the national budget.

Today a privileged few will be celebrating and commemorating their revolution and their recurring victory. Once again “they” are the “bidas” and heroes of a struggle that millions of Filipinos mounted, but benefitted only the rich and now the powerful.

IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES, including delayed bidding, weak local government participation and policy flip-flops, reduced the use of aid from foreign donors last year, according to an annual report the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) released yesterday.

To ensure graft-free delivery of services to workers, employers, and other stakeholders, both locally and overseas, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz creates tripartite Efficiency and Integrity Boards (EIBs) which will lead all offices and attached agencies (AAs) of the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) in the drive against graft and corruption.

MANILA, Philippines – To flush out corruption in the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), a tripartite body was formed by Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz to identify and investigate anomalies in the agency.

MANILA, Philippines – Members of the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) will form an informal advisory body on corruption, peace and security, and climate change.

SATISFACTION RATINGS for the country’s top institutions and officials aside from the president are basically stable, a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted just before the end of last year found.

SINGAPORE — Multinational firms trying to get a bigger piece of the Asia growth story face a rising risk of becoming embroiled in corruption scandals unless they enforce stricter compliance norms and new regulations.

MANILA, Philippines – Governance has been a major problem of the Philippines and will require years for the country to effect transformation, according to the European Union’s outgoing Ambassador Alistair MacDonald.

THE PROVINCE of Camiguin and the municipality of Alfonso Castañeda in Nueva Vizcaya grabbed the top spots in a national survey of good governance in 2008, the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) said in a statement released yesterday.

WASHINGTON—Global freedom declined for a fifth straight year in 2010 as authoritarian regimes dug in worldwide and crime and unrest plagued democracies like Mexico, a US watchdog said Thursday.

ANTI-CORRUPTION efforts — this time directed towards the private sector — will be added to the Makati Business Club’s (MBC) priorities, its new executive director said.

SCORE ON ECONOMIC FREEDOM SLIDES Despite the supposed “straight path” taken by President Aquino who assumed power in June last year, the annual Index of Economic Freedom still cited corruption as being pervasive in the country that has resulted in the Philippines under Aquino ranking a poor 115 out of 179 countries in the annual…

MANILA, Philippines – A top Catholic cleric called yesterday for an intensified effort to rid the country of graft and corruption in 2011.

MANILA, Philippines – Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez had her hands full in 2010, including parrying an impeachment complaint.

MANILA, Philippines – Nearly seven in 10 Filipinos are satisfied with the way democracy works in the country, according to a latest survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

MANILA, Philippines –  Local and foreign businessmen have united to form an anti-corruption project that will receive a $1.4-million grant from Siemens AG.

In the late 1980s, the Philippines was recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records for allegedly the biggest corruption of all time. The country was under the regime of the late President Ferdinand Marcos, who was ousted through a bloodless People Power Revolution in 1986. Hopes were high with the new administration under the…

President Aquino’s so-called “straight path” is nowhere to be discerned in a recent Transparency International (TI) survey that showed nearly half of Filipino respondents stated that the current government’s action against corruption was ineffective.

CORRUPTION apparently has lessened among select Philippine institutions but overall worsened in the country over the last three years, results of a global survey conducted by watchdog Transparency International (TI) showed yesterday.

Govt fight against graft ‘ineffective’ THE level  of corruption in the Philippines worsened in the past three years as government’s action in the fight against corruption was “ineffective,” according to a Transparency International  (TI) survey.

President vows to punish crooks President Benigno Aquino 3rd on Wednesday vowed to continue seeking the truth and hold accountable those who took part in alleged misdeeds during the past administration.

WASHINGTON — World Bank president Robert Zoellick singled out for special mention the Aquino administration’s campaign to stamp out smuggling and tax evasion.

MANILA, Philippines – Chief Justice Renato Corona and nine other Supreme Court (SC) justices voted yesterday to void the Truth Commission created to investigate alleged anomalies in the nine-year administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

AS the Aquino administration grapples with its new medium-term plan, business groups are launching initiatives aimed at complementing the government’s governance agenda. Raul Concepcion, chairman of newly formed “Gov’t Watch,” told reporters that they would present to President Benigno Aquino 3rd early next year a shortlist of suggestions aimed at enhancing the operations of four…

MANILA, Philippines – A top executive of the World Bank assured President Aquino yesterday of the institution’s strong support for his administration’s good governance and anti-poverty agenda.