Poll: Filipinos still divided on gov't campaign vs. corruption

Amid probes and plunder charges filed against government officials, half of Pinoys are still in doubt of the government’s ability to fight corruption.

“Only 54 percent see real progress over the past year in the current administration’s attempts to improve transparency and accountability and reduce corruption,” according to a poll conducted by the Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project (PPTRP) revealed in a round table event in Quezon City Tuesday.

The poll was conducted between June and August this year, PPTRP added.

Though the polls result is surprising, Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Chairman Teofisto “TG” Guingona III said corruption can still be solved through transparent and efficient use of the public funds.

“Transparency and efficiency are possible only if those who hold the public purse are aware that the money does not belong to them. They are merely stewards of the funds and the public wealth is people’s money,” he said.

Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, on the other hand, highlighted that the Department of Interior and Local Government currently pushes for a full disclosure policy among local government units. He said this can done through the use of website posting and media accessibility.

Another key finding in PPTRP’s survey is that majority or more than 90 percent of the respondents believe that the government needs to work closely with ordinary citizens and public sectors to increase transparency and reduce corruption.

“We need to build public transparency. We now have a window of opportunity with the new government being pro-transparency. We have to exploit this opportunity by involving the citizens,” said PPTRP Director Alan Davis.

Commission on Audit (COA) Chief Ma. Gracia Pulido-Tan revealed that the COA is organizing a Citizen’s Participatory Audit project that would encourage the public’s involvement in the gathering of data, validation of findings, monitoring of auditors, among others.

However, Tan said that for now, the commission can only accept complaints and leads on anomalous audit reports from the public through the citizen’s desk service.

Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada, a whistleblower and star witness in the multi-million NBN ZTE scandal, appealed that as whistleblowers and truth-tellers come out, there is a growing need for a community or a network to support them.

“Truth is such a huge burden, a fatal commodity. But do not bring the truth to the grave,” he said.

Earlier in July, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee questioned the P160 million budget for the intelligence fund of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office in 2010, which critics say may have been used as campaign kitty by the former administration.

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/poll--filipinos-still-divided-on-gov-t-campaign-vs--corruption.html