Transparency and accountability are key to earning the people’s trust and ensuring “equitable progress,” President Aquino told the annual gathering here of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund on Wednesday.
“Governing with integrity, with transparency and with accountability not only heals a national psyche that has long been characterized by its cynicism and mistrust of government. It also provides the foundation for equitable progress,” he said. “Good governance therefore is good economics.”
Aquino cited the various reforms his administration has put in place, which have resulted in four credit upgrades in the past 15 months.
He said this was a “stark contrast to the lone upgrade and six downgrades meted out by various rating agencies to the Philippines in the nine and a half years of the previous administration” of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who is now a Pampanga congresswoman.
Aquino also cited the 10-point jump of the Philippines in global competitiveness ranking, “the biggest improvement we have ever recorded in the report,” released by the World Economic Forum.
“The goal is to percolate socio-economic development to a greater majority. And it all begins with cleaning up government: instituting a culture of transparency and accountability – at the bottom line, a culture of trust in government,” he said.
He also said ending corruption should also mean holding accountable those who have wronged the people.
“Without accountability, there will be no certainty that others will not follow in the footsteps of those who have wronged our people,” said Aquino.
“Without accountability, the entrenched culture of impunity will remain, the corrupt will continue to flourish and steal, and the atmosphere of doubt and mistrust will continue to linger even as we rebuild our institutions,” he added.
WB group president Robert Zoellick, for his part, took note of the contribution of hundreds of Filipino employees to the institution. Zoelick called them “the backbone of this organization.”
“At the heart of President Aquino’s policies is a belief in the power of citizens to hold their government accountable, and that this makes for better governance and a more just society. Under his leadership, the community-driven development program, which has provided poor Filipinos a voice in the development process, is set to become a national program,” said Zoellick.
Under the Aquino administration, he said the Philippines has seen extensive reforms in its budget management process, such as enhancing transparency and calling on more civil society participation.
In his speech, Aquino said that honest and transparent budgeting has reduced waste and discretionary spending as well as opportunities for corruption.
“We are spending significant sums to provide basic healthcare services to the poor. We are also working to widen access to education, and to ensure that this education is of good quality,” said Aquino.
He also revealed that social services will take up 31.7 percent or nearly a third of the national budget in 2012.
Acknowledgment
US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr., meanwhile, said President Barack Obama’s invitation to Aquino to participate in the Open Government Initiative was also in recognition of the latter’s vigorous effort to promote transparency.
“And that is why President Aquino was selected in one of the major new presidents to meet with President Obama and the Brazilian President because of the transparency and openness that he has brought along with his senior cabinet to government and so we are very proud to be able to line ourselves with an honest government,” Thomas said in a chance interview after a roundtable discussion on Combating Human Trafficking organized by the Philippine Judicial Academy (PHILJA) and the Court of Appeals.
The United Kingdom also lauded Aquino’s commitment to transparency in government.
“The UK assures it is a partner in strengthening transparency,” said British Ambassador Stephen Lillie said in a message on Twitter.
“Transparency is essential, for secrecy and lack of accountability breeds corruption. We all know that we live in times of financial austerity; it is more essential than ever, that every peso is well spent, and that taxpayers know how it is being spent,” Lillie said. “As government seeks to implement the ambitious targets in the Philippine Development Plan, so greater transparency of budget and expenditure is needed to provide the proper checks and balance,” he said.
“If civil society organizations are engaged on the ground as part of budget consultations and expenditure monitoring, we are likely to see more efficient use of resources, leading eventually to better service delivery and development outcomes,” he added.
(source: Phil Star)
