Managing the Fight Against Corruption Through Partnership Agreement Among Government Agencies & With Civil Society: The Philippine Experience

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Erik Gaines
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1 Managing the Fight Against Corruption Through Partnership Agreement Among Government Agencies & With Civil Society: The Philippine Experience Assistant Commissioner Mary Ann Z. Fernandez Philippine Civil Service Commission 1

2 The paper aims to explain the nature and benefits of the partnership arrangements between CSC and partners from the government and civil society organizations; highlight the important roles of civil society in the fight against corruption; evaluate experiences of the CSC and the lessons learned from the partnership. 2

3 Corruption: A Global Agenda Fight Against Corruption Is Now A Popular Global Agenda And A Major Global Problem 1999: World Conference on Governance (EROPA) Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Asian-Development Bank-OECD (ADB-OECD) On-going: United Nations Convention on Corruption 3

4 Global Problems Transnational Movement of Drugs Money Laundering Human Trafficking Terrorism Gun Smuggling 4

5 Corruption Makes Society Uneconomic, Unsafe The Poor are Hurt the Most They cannot pay bribe for public services Relief goods are diverted Disaster victims due to poor enforcement of safety regulations e.g., ferry disasters, accident involving cargo/dump trucks losing their breaks High costs of medicines Poor quality of health, education services Majority of the poor are women; they suffer the most! 5

6 Some Awful Realities 1) Procurement losses: USD 383 million 2) Road Projects losses: USD 1.3 billion 3) Losses Due to Corruption Over the Last 20 years: USD 48 Billion This is more than to pay RP s foreign debt of USD 40 Billion! 6

7 Role of CSC in Fighting Corruption One among 13 agencies involved in anti-corruption Discipline - receive and resolve about 1,100 administrative complaints every year Promote accountability and ethical behavior values education/training ethics and accountability program causes, patterns and consequences of corruption ethics promotion plan case studies on best practices to fight corruption reward employees who are exemplars of ethical behavior 7

8 New Initiatives Involving Partnership Arrangements Recognition that there is a need to build awareness; change attitude and motivate people to action Harness available social capital and resources Tap existing linkages/networks 8

9 Inter Agency Anti-Graft Coordinating Council (IAAGCC) Six Members: Civil Service Commission, Commission on Audit, Office of the Ombudsman, National Bureau of Investigation, Presidential Anti-Graft Commission, Department of Justice Each Agency takes turn in providing Secretariat Services Budget: P5M or (USD 91,000), only interest earnings are spent for use for meetings and operational activities 9

10 IAAGCC Major Accomplishments guidelines for cooperation info-sharing/feedback work program handle big-time cases/fast track prosecution lifestyle check - 33 cases reviewed; 5 cases filed with suspension 10

11 IAAGCC Major Accomplishments Ombudsman and CSC agreement on handling administrative cases given concurrent jurisdiction CSC and COA agreement to tighten rules on liquidation of cash advances; administrative cases for those who violate these rules review disclosure statements establish common data base for monitoring projects 11

12 Benefits of the Partnership Group solidarity/unified strength against political influence Effective sharing of information/resources Improved interpersonal relationships 12

13 CSC-UNDP Partnership The CSC, as independent Constitutional Body tasked to establish an efficient, ethical and publicly accountable bureaucracy, is strategically positioned to coordinate the Programme activities for implementation by government agencies and civil society organizations. It shall be responsible for the oversight and monitoring of all project activities within this Programme. 13

14 Benefits for CSC CSC is able to explore new projects, e.g., integrity testing of frontliners, inclusion of values in civil service examination, experiment with new performance evaluation system focused on middle managers Capacities-built: project management, better appreciation of governance principles, partnership skills, integration of rights-based development approaches and gender concerns in programs CSC-UNDP partnership opened up new partnerships 14

15 New Partnerships With Concerned Citizens of Abra for Good Governance (CCAGG) A civil society organization partner that serves as government independent anti-corruption watcher. It monitors government projects provides feedback and acts when perceived or real corruption is committed. The members of the organization are professionals (teachers, engineers, doctors, sociologists, others) trained in project monitoring. 15

16 New Partnerships Civil Society Roles Have Evolved From monitoring infrastructure projects To training of other civil society organization on the following areas: monitoring, financial management, project management, community-based resource management To filing anti-graft cases against government officials 16

17 New Partnerships With Transparency and Accountability Network (TAN) TAN, a civil society coalition formed primarily for the purpose of exchanging information on developments and initiatives in transparency and accountability. Major Accomplishments of TAN network of 20 organizations (academe, non-government organizations, civil society organizations Audit of Government Programs e.g., textbook distribution 17 Advocacy/Awareness Raising Program

18 Some Partnerships Concerns IAAGCC Problems with adhoc arrangements re: continuity, security/storage of files, personnel Sensitivity of handling cases involving any of the member Resources Turf issues 18

19 Some Partnerships Concerns UNDP/CCAGG/TAN Expansion of the partnership Monitor progress/success Institutionalization after UNDP support 19

20 Conclusions Showcased nature and benefits of partnership arrangements of CSC with other government agencies, with UNDP, and, with civil society organizations Highlighted the evolution/ progress of CCAG to fight corruption and of TAN as a network 20

21 Recommendations Need to follow up study: Since this assessment is done by the CSC. There is need to expand the assessment to also obtain the perspective of the other partners. 21

22 Recommendations Need to address issues and concerns for the future: new/expanded partnership arrangements sources of support sustaining government-civil society organization partnership 22

23 Thank You 23

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