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PRESIDENTIAL ANTI-GRAFT COMMISSION (PAGC)

PRESS RELEASE

13 December 2007 

PAGC AWARDS TOP-10 ANTI-CORRUPTION CHAMPIONS 

The Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC) awarded today in a ceremony held at the Social Hall of the Mabini Building in Malacanang the top 10 agencies in terms of compliance to the requirements of the Integrity Development Action Plan (IDAP), to wit: 

1)      Department of Social Welfare and Development

2)      Department of Public Works and Highways

3)      Department of Health

4)      Land Transportation Office

5)      Metropolitan Manila Development Authority

6)      Department of Science and Technology

7)      Bureau of Immigration

8)      National Housing Authority

9)      Department of Finance

10)   Bureau of Internal Revenue 

                The abovementioned agencies were rated based on a set of IDAP indicators (with a 5-pt rating scale) enumerating the different levels of achievement an agency need to comply with to ensure that a particular anti-corruption measure is fully operationalized and implemented. This is the third IDAP awarding year; the first one was in 2005.  However, according to PAGC, this year’s rating is much stricter considering that all the accomplishments of the IDAP-participating agencies should be backed-up by supporting documents or means of verification to be considered—no supporting documents equals 0 rating.   

                Special recognitions were also awarded to the Land Bank of the Philippines for being in the forefront of the Government Financing Institutions (GFIs) in terms of compliance to the requirements of the IDAP and to the Department of Science and Technology for its regional offices and attached agencies’ effort to adhere to the requirements of the IDAP. 

For the first time in the history of the Philippines’ fight against graft and corruption, a holistic approach has been adopted by 120 government agencies including regional and attached offices.  This is the IDAP, the national anti-corruption framework of the executive branch composed of 22 very specific anti-corruption measures clustered into the strategies of prevention (systems reforms to minimize opportunities for graft and corruption); deterrence or investigation and enforcement (making corruption a high-risk, low-reward activity); education (advocacy to fight the negative perception of the public on the fight against graft and corruption and also values formation); and strategic partnership (enjoining the support of the public towards the fight against graft and corruption).  President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo tasked PAGC to monitor and ensure the implementation of the IDAP in 2004.   

                For those who might wonder why certain agencies which are perceived to be corrupt were included in the top 10, PAGC clarified that the award is not a perception survey of “corrupt or not corrupt” but an actual indication of the political will of the Agency Heads to institutionalize and operationalize reforms in compliance to the anti-corruption thrust set in the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan 2004-2010 of the Macapagal-Arroyo administration.  The measures will improve the system and eventually eradicate corrupt practices in their respective agencies.  

                With these gains, PAGC calls on the entire citizenry to support and participate in the various anti-corruption efforts and to not be affected with the negative publicities that will only dampen one’s spirit and later become a self-fulfilling prophecy.  PAGC added that we should not tolerate such news that tends to belittle the Filipino as a nation considering that we came from the heritage of heroes and greats. 

                “It is about time that we celebrate the goodness and positive developments in the fight against graft and corruption.  I have always been saying that there is hope.  If we will just bond together and do our respective roles, like what the IDAP-implementing agencies are doing, we will one day achieve our vision of a graft-free Philippines,” PAGC Chairman Constancia P. De Guzman said.#         

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