ADVOCACY AGAINST CORRUPTION 2

Submitted by:
Alejo, Aieshah A.
Bañas, Vanessa B.
Belwigan, Eisen P.
Lopez, Aldrin Jomari M.
Lumiqued, Alyssa Marie B.
Quitasol, Akkitha Vielle C.
Vergara, Kenneth Ian

BSAC - AAI

Corruption, as big of a concept on its own, entails with it numerous societal problems
that we face today. In a seemingly endless battle against it, we have come up with different
ways which we call advocacies, campaigns, and sustainable development goals to combat it.
But no matter how great the efforts are, corruption still arises from time to time. No matter how
big or small or what corner of the world we’re talking about, corruption still finds its way back into
the surface.

In this paper we elaborate further on the status of corruption in the Philippines and how
such corruption in the country compares to that of neighboring countries and the world. We also
present ways on how our government fights against corruption along with what us students can
do to make big impacts to sustain the damages it brings even in small ways that we can.

STATUS OF CORRUPTION

The Philippines today suffers a critical blow in the Global Corruption Index, calling the
country a “significant decliner.” This year’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) reveals that
corruption levels are at a worldwide standstill. The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories
around the world by their perceived levels of public sector corruption. The results are given on a
scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). In this ranking, the Philippines dropped two spots
from 115th to 117th.
ASIA PACIFIC

PHILIPPINES
Score Rank Score changes 2012 - 2021
33/100 117/180
Score change
-1 since 2020

.
 As seen in the data above, Denmark, Finland, and New Zealand continue to dominate
the rankings with an average score of 88 each. In contrast, the Philippines’ score remains below
the global average of 43.
“With a score of 33, the Philippines is a significant decliner, having lost 5 points since
2014. Since the election of Rodrigo R. Duterte (in 2016), the Philippines has also seen a sharp
decline in freedom of association and freedom of expression, making it harder to speak up
about corruption,” Transparency International said.
With this average, Philippines continues to lag behind some of its Southeast Asian
neighbors in the CPI, namely Singapore (4th), Malaysia (62nd), Timor-Leste (82nd), Vietnam
(87th), Indonesia (96th), and Thailand (110th), giving the Asia-Pacific region’s a total average of
45.
“People across Asia Pacific have led mass movements calling for action against
corruption, but little has changed in the last 10 years. Instead populist and autocratic leaders
co-opt anti-corruption messaging to stay in power and restrict civil liberties to stop people from
taking to the street,” said Ilham Mohamed, Asia Regional Advisor of Transparency International.
“With weakening anti-corruption institutions, or in some cases none at all, the region is failing to
uphold human rights and address corruption,” she added.

COUNTERMEASURES TO CORRUPTION

Rule of law and respect for institutions are among the prerequisites for the accomplishment
of justice, both within and outside national boundaries. Rule of law requires respect for clearly
established laws and permits an impartial, non-arbitrary decision that will support the
administration of justice in a fair and effective manner and the imposition of accountability. By
implementing effective prevention techniques and programmes created through wide-ranging
collaborations, we can combat the atmosphere that constantly oppresses societies, especially
its most vulnerable populations, and encourages the use of force as a justification. In many
ways, institutions fighting corruption as a prelude to justice have been developed along this
path.
 Particularly acting on these are the Civil Service Commission, Commission on Elections,
Commission on Audit, Office of the Ombudsman, and the country’s anti-corruption court, the
Sandiganbayan. Equally vital are the Office of the President, Congress, and Supreme Court, as
well as the institutions charged with execution of laws such as the Department of Justice,
Department of Foreign Affairs, Anti-Money Laundering Council, and Philippine National Police,
among others.

Ratifying the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) at the country
level in 2006, the Philippines subscribes to its provision. In keeping with the Convention, the
anti- corruption measure of the country is aligned with it, as it is also aligned with anti-corruption
sections of the Philippine Development Plan.

A. Preventive Measures
The best way to counter corruption is to empower and strengthen the bodies that advance
anti-corruption measures. By means of related reforms introduced and instituted by these
organizations, the Philippines has a better chance of advancing integrity initiatives in the public
sector.

1. Inter-Agency Partnerships
In order to better coordinate the anti-corruption efforts among the institutions, it was taken
upon themselves to be bound and set up the Inter-Agency Anti-Graft Coordinating Council
(IAAGCC) to formulate and develop concerted techniques and strategies in the prevention,
detection, investigation and prosecution of graft cases. This mechanism created better
operational-level coordination and has led to bilateral institutional partnerships later on.

2. Legislative Agenda
Among the efforts of the Philippine Legislature to bolster the anti-corruption initiatives are
the enactment of laws which:
(1) strengthen the anti-money laundering law; (2) strengthen the functional and structural
organization of the Sandiganbayan, the Philippines’s anti-graft court; and (3) increase the
prescriptive period for violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

3. Enhanced Transparency
Presidential Proclamation No. 2, series of 2016 has been issued in order to operationalize in
the executive branch the people’s constitutional right to information and the State policies to full
public disclosure and transparency in the public service and provided the guidelines for the
implementation of the observance of the people’s right to information. In terms of frontline
government transactions, Citizen Charters are mandated to be posted in conspicuous places in
order to provide information on obtaining a particular service, including its duration, fees and the
procedure. This will prevent bribery in exchange for services, allow the public to report on
malicious and inefficient transactions in accordance with the standard transaction rules which
are now readily made available to the public.

4. Integrity Programmes
On the matter of national corruption prevention initiatives, the Office of the President and
the Office of the Ombudsman have been working together to implement the Integrity
Management Programme, or the IMP, which is the Philippine Government’s flagship corruption
prevention programme implemented with the Office of the President and assesses the systems
and processes of key government agencies in terms of their risks and vulnerabilities to
corruption, and subsequently recommends corrective and preventive measures to the heads of
agencies. The Integrity, Transparency and Accountability in Public Service (ITAPS) Programme
also answers the need for customized training modules for government officials and employees,
thereby reinforcing a culture of good governance.

5. Sectoral Approach
To look into red tape in local government transactions, the Office of the Ombudsman has
adopted a Blue Certification Programme and Red Tape Assessment designed to revalidate the
anti- red tape standards prescribed for the Business Permits and Licensing Offices, which are
presumed to be most exposed to corrupt temptations. The Office of the Ombudsman has also
looked into corruption in the area of Environment and Investment. It has organized its
Environmental Ombudsman which is primarily tasked to ensure the proper implementation and
enforcement of environmental laws. It has since handled complaints against, investigated and
suspended public officers and employees for violations of environmental laws. The Investment
Ombudsman, on the other hand, acts on investor-related grievances and speedy resolution of
investors’ complaints.

6. Digitization of Systems
In the midst of high incidence of non-filing and inappropriate asset declarations, a prototype
Electronic Statement of Asset, Liabilities and Net Worth or the eSALN was launched in May
2016 – a collaboration among the Civil Service Commission, Office of the Ombudsman and the
Office of the President. It is a system which transitions the manual-based asset declaration to an
electronic platform. It is envisioned to address perennial issues such as late, incomplete,
improper, non-filing, non-declaration/misdeclaration of assets and liabilities, or non-disclosure of
financial interests.

7. Merit Based Incentive Programme

In 2012, the Philippine government started implementing a merit-based incentive
programme through the grant of performance-based bonus to government employees who have
rendered exemplary performance. The programme has been continuously implemented with the
aim to improve the delivery of goods and services to all Filipinos and to institute a culture of
fairness and excellence in the bureaucracy.

8. Anti-Corruption Hotline
2016 marked the beginning of operation of the 8888 Citizen’s Complaint Hotline which the
the public may use it to report poor public service and other improper conduct of government
officials and employees. The Office of the President Public Assistance Center may also receive
complaints against erring government officials and employees. The Office of the Ombudsman
likewise maintains two hotlines that the requesters or complainants may contact, namely, the
Public Assistance Bureau, hotline which is open during office hours and the Field Investigation
Office’s 24-hour hotline.

B. Criminalization and Law Enforcement

In the first cycle review of the UNCAC, it has been identified that one of the challenges is the
coordination among authorities to pursue bribery and embezzlement cases. This is addressed
by the previously cited Inter-Agency Anti-Graft Coordinating Council which adopted major plans
such as the roll-out of a Revised Guidelines on Cooperation; publication of an Integrated
Anti-Graft Investigation and Prosecution Manual; and development of an Integrated Case
Management System for Graft and Corruption Cases.
A bill is also pending in Congress that seeks to constitute the Commission on Audit (COA),
Office of the Ombudsman, and Committee on Oversight of Congress into a tripartite body to be
known as the Legislative Audit Council to perform identified tasks enabling government to
effectively run after corrupt officials and private individuals and make them to account for
embezzlement of public funds.

C. International Cooperation and Asset Recovery

As for international cooperation and asset recovery, the primary mechanism that has been used
for some of the documented successful recovery of assets hidden offshore is the Mutual Legal
Assistance Treaty or the MLAT. The Philippines does not have a domestic law on mutual legal
assistance but this does not prohibit it to request or grant legal assistance to a foreign country.
Provisions of existing bilateral and regional MLATs provide for this.

The lessons from the Philippines may not be of a great model because corruption is far from
being weeded out of its soil. Over the years, however, the country is able to display its
consistent effort to fight corruption using the legislative measures and prevention programmes
that go hand-in-hand with aggressive investigation and prosecution of public offenders, and the
continuous promotion of integrity work. It has secured venues to seek redress. The country has
also welcomed technical assistance from international communities and dove into making anti-
corruption drives a multi-sectoral discourse. It has numerous laws that prevent corruption and
buttress public service ethos. It might not have fully complied with all the provisions in the
UNCAC checklist, but the country has addressed the key points to begin a good anti-corruption
drive.

HOW CAN WE HELP LESSEN CORRUPTION AS STUDENTS?

The following are some ways that students can aid in the control of internal corruption.
First and foremost, strive to be a model student because failing to learn effectively is also, in
some ways, a form of corruption. For instance, students may question why they should put in
two weeks of study time for a challenging exam when they can simply pay the professor and
pass. Second, you shouldn't lie or cheat if you want to achieve good grades. What good is
studying if you merely cheat and don't get the idea or lesson? Cheating will simply offer you an
advantage while your classmates work hard to pass and complete their goals but this does not
put you ahead of others. Prevention of corruption starts with trust, if we cannot be trusted on
small things, how would we be trusted for bigger things. Third, show your professors respect. Be
responsible and commit to ethical practices and moral principles in all activities. Last but not
least, prioritize learning over achieving excellent test scores. Your grades, activities, and test
scores are just numbers; they do not indicate how much you have learned. As long as you
understand this, you have already achieved a great deal.

Corruption is a disease of the mind, so it has to be eradicated from the mind (Shahzadi,
2020). Therefore, part of the advocacy against corruption is changing people’s mind. As
students, it should be our endeavor to educate ourselves about corruption, its nature, its
causes, and its effects. It might be a cliche to say this but if we want change, it should start from
within even if this process goes a long way. It is not enough that we equip ourselves with
lessons and skills for our career because it is also necessary to be a citizen “na may pakialam”
who knows if something is not being done right and be able to speak about it. It is important that
we teach ourselves how to stand up for what we know as injustice or unfair because it is not
acceptable to just stay silent and endure what is happening. This does not just point to
protesting but it also means balancing our views within the spectrum and being able to make
our own decisions without being controlled by the mainstream perspective. If we can stand on
our own ideas, definitely, we can resist any kind of temptation and corrupt actions. Changing
people’s minds comes with developing our values and personalities. We should strive to
become morally upright students and do justice with our responsibilities as future accountants.
We should not run after higher marks which might lead us into cheating in any form, instead we
should aim for higher learning founded with ethical principles and commitments. In general, as
students who strongly condemn corruption, there are various things we can do in our own small
ways to combat this contagious and deadly disease. Corruption is widespread and visible
everywhere, but not everyone is aware of it. With these, we must work together to create a
global culture in which corruption is rejected, transparency is required, and accountability is
enforced.

REFERENCES:

CNN Philippines. (2022, January 26). 'PH is a significant decliner' in global corruption index,

ranks 117th. CNN Philippines. Retrieved October 6, 2022, from

https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2022/1/26/PH-117th-global-corruption-index-2021-

.html

Shahzadi, A. (2020, April 23). How to control corruption as a student? | by Aiman Shahzadi.

Medium. Retrieved October 7, 2022, from

https://medium.com/@aimanmiran01/how-to-control-corruption-as-a-student-b6317696e

ec7

Simser, J. (n.d.). COUNTERING CORRUPTION IN THE PHILIPPINES: PROTOTYPES AND

REINFORCING MEASURES. Retrieved October 7, 2022, from

https://www.unafei.or.jp/publications/pdf/GG12/21_GG12_CP_Philippines.pdf

Transparency International. (n.d.). Home. Retrieved October 6, 2022, from

https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2021/index/mys