Governance

No real change or reform is possible under the existing government set-up. It looks like PNoy may not truly succeed in his promised pagbabago if he will just continue working under the present policies and practices prevailing in government service. The fact that even in government, family ties still run deep for many of his…

MANILA, Philippines – A Cabinet member has 15 cars while some have millions in cash deposited in banks. These are some of the interesting details in the Statements of Assets and Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) of President Aquino’s official family.

MANILA, Philippines – They may have given up lucrative family businesses to join President Aquino’s administration, but even in government, family ties still run deep for many Cabinet members.

MANILA, Philippines –  Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said yesterday the House of Representatives would prioritize the passage of several anti-corruption measures as part of the chamber’s effort to encourage investments, promote transparency and eradicate poverty.

ANALYSIS Editor’s note: The Manila Times today publishes the fourth part of the serialization of Mr. Monsod’s assessment of the May 2010 automated polls. The assessment was delivered on November 9, 2010, at the Ateneo de Manila Rockwell campus in Rockwell, Makati City, as a lecture, under the Jaime V. Ongpin Foundation Lecture Series.

MANILA, Philippines – The Australian government has launched a new initiative to strengthen Philippine institutions by assisting Filipinos to pursue and achieve professional excellence.

FOR a man who once served as Health secretary in the Arroyo administration, Francisco Duque 3rd asserted on Thursday that he is following the “daang matuwid [straight path]” of President Bengino Aquino 3rd in his current position as chairman of the Civil Service Commission (CSC).

THE Philippine Constructors Association Inc. (PAC) called on the Aquino administration to expedite the approval of construction permits, delays in which helped bring down the country’s ranking in the latest Doing Business Report of the World Bank Group. Levy Espiritu, PCA president, said the construction industry has long been wanting to shorten the process of…

A bunch of economists trooped over to the New World hotel last week to enjoy a free dinner (always a guaranteed crowd drawer), courtesy of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty (Philippine office) and co-hosted by the Foundation for Economic Freedom. The FNF and FEF represent their respective countries within the Economic Freedom Network, a…

Members of the House of Representatives yesterday expressed disappointment over the Transparency International (TI) report even as they pushed the creation of a permanent congressional oversight committee that would monitor major regulatory agencies of the government.

The country retained its rank as among Asia’s most corrupt even as it slightly improved in its ranking this year in Transparency International (TI)’s yearly global corruption survey which placed the Philippines 134th out of 178 countries ranked.

THE Philippines was ranked 12th most corrupt country in the world by Transparency International in 2010, down from last year when it was placed 113th, according to the group’s Corruption Perceptions Index released Tuesday.

MANILA, Philippines – Business executives in the country are fed up with the prevailing corrupt practices in procurement and supply management and have lined up a series of initiatives aimed at stopping unethical dealings that have cost businesses as much as 50% of their investments here.

LAST October 3, we discussed the need for the Aquino III administration to do “best practices called the 4-Cs” within its first 200 days. Recall the record of President Aquino III’s first 100 days which materialized well below what was anticipated, considering the nationwide optimism at his inaugural on 30 June and further boosted after…

TRANSPARENCY in government is a cornerstone policy that President Benigno Aquino 3rd has promised to uphold. It has been put in doubt because of his perceived reluctance to divulge the report of the commission that investigated the hostage-taking tragedy on August 23, but he could still make good on his pledge by widening public access…

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine government continues to score poorly in the areas of stable laws, access to justice and corruption compared to similarly situated countries in the region, a new report on government effectiveness revealed Friday.

THE PHILIPPINES has slipped in terms of providing a strong justice system and addressing corruption, according to a new global index upholding the rule of law.

MANILA, Philippines – Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano called on President Aquino to consider the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act as the first bill his administration will certify as urgent, saying a big part of the fight against corruption would be won if the proposal is passed into law.

MANILA, Philippines – Employees and consultants of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) under contracts of service received more than P3.4 million in unauthorized bonuses and allowances last year.

MANILA, Philippines – Female traffic enforcers were deployed by the Land Transportation Office (LTO) across the country’s roads and thoroughfares starting Monday. The LTO believes that the move will discourage erring motorists from either attempting to bribe the traffic enforcers or engage them in an argument.

MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. has called for a performance audit of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in providing assistance to Filipino workers in distress.

Despite its poor performance in corruption polls, the Philippines became one of the founders of the world’s first educational institution dedicated to fighting corruption.

THE Department of Finance (DOF) will file at least two administrative and criminal cases against erring government officers every month. Newly appointed Finance Undersecretary Carlo Carag, who heads the Revenue, Operations and Legal affairs Group, told reporters that “at the very least” he would file two cases under Republic Act (RA) 3019, or the Anti-Graft…

CEBU, Philippines – The Department of Labor and Employment has instituted a monitoring mechanism to measure sentiments about the agency’s programs and services, as well as to strengthen con-sultations with the public.

MANILA, Philippines–In a bid to promote transparency, the Department of Interior and Local Government ordered all local government officials and units to publicly disclose all their financial transactions and budget reports.

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has opened its website to the public who can post and even track the status of their complaints.

SPECIAL REPORT Pilot housing project (First of two parts) CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—In the files of the Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund), Joel is listed as a borrower of a P635,000 loan for a 36-square meter, two-story townhouse in Xevera Mabalacat, a housing project some 50 kilometers north of where he lives in Pampanga.

GRAFT charges were filed by the Office of the Ombudsman against the Regional Director of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in the Cordillera Administrative Region for buying office supplies without the benefit of public bidding. In an 11-page resolution of the Ombudsman, signed and approved by Ombudsman Maria Merceditas Navarro-Gutierrez, indicted in court…

MANILA, Philippines – Business process outsourcing (BPO) executives have ranked government corruption as one of the major risks associated with doing business in the Philippines.

A LAWMAKER has revived the bill proposing the issuance of a national identification (ID) card, with additional details on vital information of every citizen and resident alien.