ANGARA: LAWMAKERS SHOULD LEAD GOV'T TRANSPARENCY
TO EARN PUBLIC TRUST

MANILA, PHILIPPINES--Senator Edgardo J. Angara today called on parliamentarians to take a central role in the global fight against corruption, and engage the public in promoting transparency in government.

According to Angara, corruption in government cannot be eliminated if the public is not aware of how government conducts business, especially in the procurement and disbursement procedures of daily government transactions.

"With the help of media organizations, we must keep the public informed of all actions taken by government, be they transactions or policy making decisions. Transparency is the key," Angara said.

"People have the right to information on matters of public interest, and access to official records, documents, and papers with regards to official acts, transactions, or decisions, made by government," Angara added.

"For our part, the Philippine's Freedom of Information Act will make it mandatory for all government agencies in the country to provide data to any individual who requests for such, provided that the information being sought will not jeopardize national security," Angara continued.

According to Angara, the Freedom of Information Act, once signed into law by President Aquino, will ensure compliance by the Philippines to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC).

Angara is the author of the E-procurement Law and is pushing for the Political Party and Campaign Finance Reform bill to transform political parties as public institutions which are subject to auditing of disbursement of campaign funds and their sources.

Angara, founding chairman of the South East Asian Parliamentarians Against Corruption (SEAPAC), is set to host the upcoming Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) meeting which will be held later this week at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel.

The event, to be attended by thirty-six parliamentarians from seventeen countries, is highlighted by the meeting of the GOPAC Task Force on the UN Convention Against Corruption (GTF-UNCAC) which aims to develop a tool-kit for parliamentarians that can aid in the prevention of corruption through policy and legislation, which can be also used as a generic framework for parliamentarians in any country in support of the UN's anti-corruption drives.