Angara: Legislators unite in fighting corruption in the Asean region

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) legislators have firmed up a united front to fight official corruption in the region to ensure the efficient use of public funds, stimulate investments and put in place an effective legal infrastructure that would provide the anti-dote to official indiscretion, Senator Edgardo J. Angara has said.

Angara said that the SEAPAC, which stands for Southeast Asian Parliamentarians Against Corruption (SEAPAC), has been formed to banner the anti-corruption effort from the regions parliaments and congresses on a coordinated and institutional basis. The 26 founding members of the SEAPAC came from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Angara, who is the SEAPAC president, was the driving force behind the establishment of the SEAPAC and his organizing effort had gained momentum from his active participation in the Ottawa-based Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption or GOPAC.

Angara said that the development initiatives and all the cooperative measures aimed at fostering economic growth and political stability in the ASEAN region has to be complemented by a strong commitment to combat corruption on a regional scale.

The 26 founding members of the SEAPAC, according to Angara, signed the Manila Declaration late last year which calls for the following program of action:

• Endorse the ratification of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption
• Foster closer collaboration among legislators in the region to step up anti-corruption work
• Review our respective state of laws, standards, systems and strategies to determine their adequacy and consistency with international commitments against corruption
• Promote the participation of all sectors of society in advancing the Rule of Law and good governance in the conduct of public and private affairs.

Angara said that combating corruption is a task so tough that there should be national and regional strategies in fighting the scourge.

Angara, a few years back, was the sponsor in the Senate of the landmark law on government procurement which radically overhauled the rules of bidding and award in the public sector.

The law provides adequate safeguards to protect public money and it even incorporated features of modern technology into the law to boost the safeguards.

During the deliberation at the committee level, it was revealed that at least P22 billion in public funds is being waster yearly due to fraud in public bids and other forms of corruption.