Press Release
April 29, 2018

SOMEONE MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE KUWAIT BROUHAHA - NANCY
says Code of Conduct for gov't execs necessary

Senator Nancy Binay said someone must be held accountable for the diplomatic row between the Philippines and Kuwait caused by the release of several viral videos showing the rescue of Filipino domestic workers.

"Somebody needs to be held accountable. Ang laking problem itong hinaharap natin ngayon dahil may natira pang 250,000 na kababayan sa Kuwait," Binay said in a radio interview Saturday.

"Can you just imagine na sabihin ng Kuwait na hindi na pwedeng magtayo ng embassy? Sinong mag-aalaga sa ating mga OFWs kung wala nang presence ng Philippine government?" she added.

Binay urged the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to look into the matter and administer sanction to those who possibly violated protocol by uploading the rescue video.

"Dapat magkaroon ng accountability paano nangyari na upload yung video. Polisya na ba ng DFA yung ganung pagrerescue sa ating kababayan na in distress?" she said.

"Kasi may orientation na kailangan lahat open book. Hindi naman ganoon ang sitwasyon palagi. May mga bagay tayo na mas maigi munang siguro hindi nalalaman ng karamihan dahil yan ay to protect more people. Hindi naman entertainment ito na kailangan i-upload," she added.

Binay said she is planning to file a resolution to call for an investigation on the diplomatic mess with Kuwait.

"Baka maganda sa pagbalik namin sa Senado sa May 15 magkaroon ng hearing sa nangyaring ito kasi we can't afford na maulit ito. Lalo na sa Middle East ibang-iba ang batas nila," she added.

Binay also reiterated her call that there should be a code of conduct for government officials on social media use.

"Siguro dapat pagaralan talagang maigi na magkaroon talaga tayo ng Code of Conduct when it comes to social media news, lalong lalo na sa government officials," Binay said.

"I think yung DICT ata nagsubmit na sa Malacanang. Siguro sana ma-fast track itong Code of Conduct," she added.

Last February, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) finished its final round of consultations for the proposed Administrative Order (AO) on Social Media Use for Government.

The AO seeks to provide a framework for government agencies to manage their social media accounts; establish rules for responsible and safe use of social media by government employees taking into account their right to privacy and freedom of expression and encourage the use of social media to promote good governance, transparency and accountability, citizen participation and improvement of public service delivery.

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