TI
releases 2006 National Integrity Systems report
says RP’s multiple anti-graft bodies “tainted,”
“lack independence”
Transparency
International (TI) recently released its report on “National
Integrity Systems,” which investigated the health of public
institutions established to combat corruption in East and Southeast
Asia. It examined nine countries, including the Philippines based
on studies conducted in 2006.
Developed
by TI as part of its anti-corruption efforts, the NIS is made up
of the key institutions, laws and practices that contribute to integrity,
transparency and accountability in a society. The NIS is a tool
used by TI to analyse corruption in a particular context.
“This
report is essential for public institutions and civil society in
establishing regional benchmarks in the fight for better governance,”
said Transparency International Regional Director for Asia –
Pacific, Pascal Fabie, adding that despite differences in economic
and political contexts the regional report identified “definite
trends” among the countries examined.
Two
prevailing modes of corruption control in the region have been determined,
with countries either having a single centralised anti-corruption
agency or multiple agencies, often with “strongly overlapping
mandates.”
Taking
stock of the cases of Singapore and Hong Kong, the report proved
that a single independent agency dedicated to the task of corruption
control was more effective compared with governments relying on
multiple anti-corruption agencies. The latter, according to the
report, “led to lack of coordination, competition for resources
and dilution of anti-corruption efforts,” specifically citing
the Philippine experience.
Since 1950, the report noted that there have been 18 presidential
anti-corruption agencies established in the Philippines. Today,
on top of the Ombudsman, and the Sandiganbayan (Anti-Graft Court),
there exist five presidential anti-corruption agencies. The country
report stated that the NIS in the Philippines faced two major problems.
First, in terms of legislation, laws tend to either be “under-legislated”
(i.e. lack of protection for whistleblowers) or “over-legislated”
(i.e. government regulations).
The second problem was “more disturbing” as the study
found that all the integrity pillars were “tainted by internal
corruption and are therefore heavily compromised,” “unable
to perform their functions and operate effectively.” The country
report noted the lack of independence of constitutional commissions,
the public procurement system being plagued with misappropriation
problems, and “a need to improve enforcement by prosecuting
and convicting ‘big fish’ rather than ‘small fry.’”
The report maintained, however, that the existence of a single anti-corruption
agency did not automatically guarantee success in combating corruption.
In general, the report found that the NIS in the nine countries
still had profound weaknesses. Even Hong Kong and Singapore, recognised
as the strongest in the region, still needed improvement in the
aspect of involving civil society in government decision-making
processes.
 The
report thus identified three conditions and recommendations to improve
NIS effectiveness:
- political
will to curb corruption, which should be combined with a single
independent and incorruptible anti-corruption agency;
-
civil society should mobilise other sectors to fight corruption
through coalition building; and
-
vigorous investigation of corruption at all levels, in both the
public and private sector .
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