Senator Christopher “Bong” Go said that President Rodrigo Duterte remains determined to eradicate corruption in the government amid challenges and difficulties faced over the past five years of his term. Go also mentioned that the President remains hopeful that new and younger generations, should they choose to enter public service, will make significant difference by helping fight corruption from within.
“Halos bawat linggo may nasu-suspend, natatanggal at nakakasuhan. Sabi naman ng Pangulo, kapag mapatunayang nagnakaw ka, sibak ka! Kahit exasperated na si Pangulong Duterte, hindi pa rin siya nawawalan ng pag-asa. Patuloy pa rin ang kanyang pagtatrabaho hanggang sa huling araw ng kanyang termino,” Go said.
In his final State of the Nation Address last Monday, July 26, Duterte reiterated his six fundamental promises when he ran for the presidency.
“To offer free education and healthcare, fight illegal drugs, criminality and corruption, and the development of infrastructure, including free irrigation and other big ticket projects, per chance, among others, during my term,” Duterte said.
In his speech, Duterte also suggested that the next president should make drastic changes if they want to get rid of corruption in the government, calling the problem “endemic”.
“You cannot stop corruption, nobody can stop corruption unless we overturn the government completely,” Duterte remarked. “If I were the next president if you think there is a need for you to change everybody in the system, then you declare martial law,” he added.
Despite this, the Senator assured that Duterte continues to respect the Constitution and the rights of those in civil service. He also expressed his trust and support for the honest, hard-working government employees.
“Naniniwala pa rin naman siya na marami pa ring malilinis ang kalooban sa gobyerno. Kailangan din lang ng suporta ng taumbayan dahil kung wala namang nagsusumbong, halos wala namang naiimbestigahan at nakakasuhan,” said Go.
The Senator also cited some of his efforts to assist the President in the fight against corruption.
“Kung kaya’t noong hindi pa ako nahalal bilang isang Senador, itinatag ko, kasama ang Presidential Anti-Crime Commission, ang Truth and Justice Coalition. Hanggang sa ngayon, patuloy itong nagsisilbing daan para sa pribadong sektor na aktibong makilahok sa kampanya ng administrasyon laban sa katiwalian sa gobyerno,” said Go.
The Truth and Justice Coalition was founded in October 2018 as a result of Go and the PACC’s initiative to assist the government in fighting corruption by assisting with fact-finding inquiries, lifestyle checks, and other investigations. It collaborates with lawyers, retired public officials, religious leaders, the private sector, and other government institutions to create platforms for citizens to report corruption and reward those who do so.
From March 2018 to May 2019, the Truth and Justice Coalition has received 4,135 corruption complaints, 157 of which have been filed in the Ombudsman while 89 were filed in the Department of Justice’s Task Force against Corruption.
Three thousand forty seven reports have been endorsed to concerned agencies for immediate appropriate action; fact-finding inquiries and lifestyle checks have been conducted for 112 reports; 35 complaints have been concluded, while 299 letters of compliance have been issued.
He then asked all Filipinos to join the battle against corruption and assist the President, saying that whoever is the country’s leader must be supported in his or her efforts to combat the problem.
“Magtulungan tayo. Tulungan natin ang Pangulo at ang gobyernong ito na linisin ang ating ‘bakuran’ dahil iisa lang naman ang ating gobyerno at iisa rin lamang ang ating Pangulo,” said Go.
“Kahit sino man ang maupo sa puwestong iyan, kailangan natin magkaisa para magkaroon tayo ng malinis at maayos na pamahalaan,” he added.
According to Go, the Duterte Administration has been relentless in pursuing a clean government. In 2016, Duterte signed and issued Executive Order No. 2, s. 2016, a Freedom of Information (FOI) measure which guarantees every Filipino “access to information, official records, public records and to documents and papers pertaining to official acts, transactions or decisions, as well as to government research data used as basis for policy development.”
During his SONA, Duterte also emphasized that an e-governance measure be prioritized. This aims to cut red tape, eradicate corruption, improve transparency, offer safe and convenient service delivery to Filipinos, and promote public input and involvement.
Go has such a pending measure in the Senate — SBN 1738, or the “E-Governance Act of 2020,” which mandates the government to establish an integrated, interconnected, and inter-operable information and resource-sharing and communications network.
In 2018, Duterte also signed the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act which streamlines the process of starting a business by mandating the creation of a central business portal to receive all business applications and the Philippine Business Databank to serve as a repository of information on all businesses registered in the Philippines.
Photo Credit: Facebook/BongGoPage