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Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Ombud vows transparency in P1B anti-graft fund
Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez yesterday promised transparency over the $21 million US grant and the P1-billion counterpart fund released by President Arroyo to help combat graft and corruption.
Gutierrez said transparency will be observed in all the procedures, accounting and use of the amount to ensure that every centavo will be spent on programs and projects that aim to eliminate graft and corruption.
This, as Senate President Franklin Drilon said there is really a need to provide budget to fight irregularities and anomalies in the government as 30 to 40 percent of public funds go to corruption.
But Drilon said political will is much important to address graft and corruption such as increasing the number of investigators in the Office of the Ombudsman.
“During the time of Ombudsman Simeon Mar-celo, we increased the budget of the Ombudsman, but beyond the funding, we need political will to jail the grafters,” Drilon said.
The outgoing Senate president, however, said there should be transparency in the use of the P1-billion budget as the money might end up in corruption as feared by some sectors.
“Government’s credibility is really below freezing point. That’s what the people is thinking about (the money may go to corruption). Since the people do not trust the government anymore, we expect that kind of commentary from the people,” Drilon said.
US grant
The US Government earlier awarded the Philippines a two-year grant under the Millennium Challenge Account , which is funded by the US Congress and seeks to reward countries that govern well.
At the same time, President Arroyo has also ordered the release of P1 billion funds to combat graft and corruption in her government.
But opposition Rep. Gilbert Remulla of Cavite doubted President Arroyo’s campaign against graft and corruption. He said it seemed that the President would not afford to charge and send to jail her close friends and even members of her family in the event they get involve in graft and corruption.
“Can she (President Arroyo) really stop the practice of graft especially with another impeachment looming, where bribes and favors will again be handed out? Is she willing to charge and jail those close to her, even her own family?” he said.
Remulla believes the anti-corruption campaign lacks credibility, particularly now that the filing of second impeachment against Arroyo draws near.
Another opposition legislator, Rodolfo Plaza of Agusan del Sur, said government’s campaign against corruption will remain unbelievable if Gutierrez will not act with dispatch and with sense of fairness on charges hurled against allies of President Arroyo.
Plaza said charges against President Arroyo’s allies have been languishing in the Office of the Ombudsman for quite sometime and hardly reaches the Sandiganbayan.
The Office of the Ombudsman has also yet to decide on more than P700-million fertilizer scam where former agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn “Joc-joc” Bolante has been identified as the alleged main man in the controversy and the Commission on Elections’ automation which the Supreme Court declared as unconstitutional.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. agreed that political will is needed to address graft and corruption but allocating P1 billion for this campaign is no longer needed.
“All that is needed is the political will on the part of the President to do so,” he said.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson, meanwhile, urged President Arroyo to start investigating the people very close to her if she is determined to end graft and corruption besetting her government.
“All the President has to do is to really send a strong message by going after people very close to her. But that is not what’s happening. The closer they get, the better,” Lacson said. (Sunnex)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (June 21, 2006 issue)
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