SPEECH OF PRESIDENT NOYNOY AQUINO AT THE OPENING OF THE 5TH GLOBAL CONFERENCE OF GOPAC (Delivered at the PICC, Pasay City on Jan. 31, 2013)
Thank you.. Good Morning. Please sit down.
Around the world, the dominant atmosphere seems to be one of uncertainty. Economies are contracting left and right; business have become more way of risks and people have gone to the streets, clamoring for inclusiveness. The message of our times is clear. The gap between rich and poor, between the powerful and powerless, has become too huge. Too many people are being left behind.
And it has also become clear that inequity is borne of corruption. The few at the top have been allowed to run roughshod over the many and have gamed the system to benefit themselves, while the rest wallow in poverty. The greatest challenge for any modern society, then is how to stem the corruption that has feasted on the very moral of our society and institutions.
That is why we are here today. As people in government, we know that corruption can not be eliminated by sending a few erring officials to jail or by exposing a single faulty contract or by removing from office a single oppressive tyrant. For example, the Filipino people have no doubt taken huge strides towards establishing a culture of fairness and accountability when no less that a former president was charged with plunder, among other things. Our own Chief Justice of the Supreme Court was impeached and stripped of his position when he was found to have lied about more than 98% of his cash assets. But, while these cases have undeniable impact in our cultural milieu, without structural reform, another corrupt President might one day take the reins of power another Chief Justice might one day again betray the public trust.
The problem of corruption must be approached strategically, always with the long term in mind. Reforms can not be mere blips in the radar.. they must usher in an enduring mainstream of good, honest governance. Only through legislation can the bedrock of inclusiveness and positive, meaningful change be set. As parliamentarians, this is your task, and perhaps you will be interested in the policies that have gotten us to where we are now and which we can also form the basis of change in your respective countries.
While policy formulation can at times be a complex matter.. the overarching idea behind our efforts is simple. To put the people front and center in any agenda and go back to the basics of public service. In short, to do the right thing. This for example, has led to the success of our Department of Public Works and highways. If I may give one instance: recently, the the Department worked on a major infrastructure projects in the heart
of metro manila. Initially, we were informed that it would cost P694 Million. But following the right bidding procedures and after thorough negotiations we were able to get the project done for P430 million. It was done the same quality and they even finished a hundred days early.
Our country's key agencies have shown the same spirit as the DPWH. Notably the Department of Justice, the Metro Manila Development Authority, the Department of Social Welfare and development, the TESDA and others have established internal mechanisms or offices to police themselves, to respond to administrative complaints and to make certain that they are fulfilling their mandate in an efficient manner.
Our Department of Budget and Management has also been taking extra care of taxpayers money. For the past two years they have been using the zero base budgeting system, a system that makes a certain that we get more bang for our buck, rather than refreshing and funding the same old projects, regardless of whether they work or not. To ensure that the money of our agencies spend on their projects will yield the best equivalent benefit to our countrymen. In terms of transparency, our administration has also been conducting groundbreaking work. The Budget Department has ordered the disclosure of budget information on the websites of all national departments and agencies. Our Interior and Local Government has also adopted a full disclosure policy, requiring all local government units to disclose the financial activities. The department of Budget and Management and the Dept. of Finance have likewise launched websites called Budget ng Bayan and Pera ng Bayan respectively. These translates to the Peoples budget and the Peoples Money. These websites allow our citizens to access information about how the government in spending their money and to report corrupt officials from the DOF and its attached agencies.
We are fully aware that in the coming years, we will continue to grind it out with elements in our respective societies who simply want to profit from the hard work of others.. who want to establish or maintain an undeserved upper hand over the common citizen. Today we are forming a more cohesive force against corruption and the more we share our ideas. the more we listen to one another. te sooner we will achieve our goal of eliminating corruption and reforming the system for the benefit of our people.
It is now up to usto reach out to the most cynical of our people and show them that there is a group of people working past geographical boundaries, convinced that if each and every one of us works towards a better world, then it is possible to push human civilization into its next great chapter.. an era of honesty, transparency, inclusiveness and genuine people power empowerment.
Thank you good day and we hope you have a fruitful conference. (VerGarciaBlogs)
