Senate commends Angara's election as first Asian to head GOPAC

The Senate has adopted a resolution commending Senator Edgardo Angara for being the first Asian to be elected as Chairman of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC).

Senate Resolution No. 935, which was unanimously adopted by the Chamber, states that Angara's chairmanship is a "fitting recognition of his passionate crusade towards the eradication of corruption with the belief that corruption is a plague that affects individuals at the local level, which can have serious global consequences."

Angara was elected Chairman of GOPAC during the fifth global anti-corruption conference, held on January 30, 2013 to February 2, 2013, at the Philippine International Convention Center, replacing Dr. Naser Al Sane, Member of Parliament of Kuwait.

Angara is also the current President of the Southeast Asian Parliamentarians Against Corruption (SEAPAC).

The resolution also commended Angara's professional and proficient management in organizing the conference, which was observed by Al Sane, GOPAC's outgoing Chair, who said that the conference was handled proficiently by highly professional staff. He thanked the Filipino people for being "very hospitable and accommodating."

The fifth GOPAC conference, participated in by a record of 429 lawmakers from 78 countries, including 12 heads of Parliaments, agreed on several vital resolutions: enhancing the capacity of parliamentarians to adopt international standards to national needs; strengthening anti-corruption strategies; monitoring the respective countries' compliance with the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC); helping each other develop and roll out resources to strengthen anti-money laundering regimes; allowing the public and civil-society to participate in the fight against graft and corruption by providing education and access to information, as well as protecting the rights of anti-corruption advocates; upholding fundamental standards while recognizing the differences in political and cultural context in which legislators work; and providing a network of support for women parliamentarians to enhance their capacity to participate in the fight against corruption, among others.

The conference was highlighted by the signing of the Manila Declaration, which states, among others, to enact laws against graft, particularly for the recovery of ill-gotten wealth, and to enable the international community to prosecute the corrupt. (YVONNE ALMIRAÑEZ, PRIB)