ANGARA : PHL MUST STEP UP ANTI-CORRUPTION MEASURES

Senator Edgardo J. Angara today urged the government to increase its anti-corruption efforts, prompted by an international study which gave the Philippines a "very weak" rating in terms of governance and corruption.

The 2010 Global Integrity Report reveals a decrease in the country's overall score, partly caused by the disparity between "between its laws on the books and their actual implementation". While the Philippines had one of the highest rankings in terms of access to the internet (a key factor in determining censorship), it rated poorly in the areas of financial transparency, accountability and political interference.

These results were released by Global Integrity, a non-profit organization based in Washington DC which tracks governance and corruption trends around the world. This annual report consists of in-depth country assessments prepared by local experts using both quantitative and qualitative data.

"This study confirms what we have long suspected--the Philippines has a good record of establishing anti-corruption legislation, but the authorities here lack the power to properly carry out these laws. What we need now is a concrete social and political program to begin the process of eliminating these illegal practices," he urged.

Angara was part of the 4th Global Conference held by the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) in Mexico last March. The three-day series of meetings and fora was focused towards the establishment of a global strategy to stamp out corruption and poverty around the world.

As president of SEAPAC (South East Asian Parliamentarians Against Corruption), he is only Asian representative in the GOPAC's executive board.

Angara spearheaded the adoption of landmark anti-corruption laws in the Philippines, including the Government E-Procurement Law and the creation of the Office of the Ombudsman.

"Corruption is a social sickness which can spread from the highest positions of power down to the lowest ranking employees. Therefore, all measures to prevent and cure this must be driven by support from all sectors of society," he asserted.