Drilon: Ongoing efforts to fight government corruption will redeem the Senate

Press Release

16 January 2014

Refer to: Jeeno Arellano (09272286617)

Senate President Franklin M. Drilon today said he is confident that the ongoing efforts of the senators in instituting reforms and policies towards erasing corruption from Philippine governance will eventually redeem the institution.

Drilon issued the statement in response to the latest results of the 2013 Social Weathers Station (SWS) Survey of Enterprises on Corruption which showed significant downturn in the perceived sincerity of the Senate in fighting corruption.

The Senate leader said that the plunge in ratings “is perfectly understandable” and he believes the poor figure is “natural and temporary”.

“They are a natural consequence of the public’s outrage on the pork-barrel controversy, which involved the Senate as amongst the affected institutions,” explained Drilon.

“I believe what is clear now with these numbers is the gravity of the people’s intolerance to corruption in public service, and that positive changes which will eliminate government corruption are definitely in order,” stressed Drilon.

  

According to the Senate chief: “only genuine reforms which can be instituted through appropriate legislation would truly vindicate the Senate back into its status as an honored and trusted public institution.”

“The Senate will waste no time as it continues its efforts throughout this new year to institute policy reforms within the Senate and pass measures that will stamp out graft and corruption in the bureaucracy,” emphasized Drilon.

“We intend to produce results that the public can see for themselves - so that they would know that they are being heard, that something is being done,” he added.     

The Senate President pointed that throughout last year, initiatives like the abolition of the Priority Development Assistance Fund, the Senate inquiry on the pork barrel scam and the movement towards the Freedom of Information Bill –which is now in advanced stage of legislation – are examples of the Senate’s commitment to its anti-corruption and reformist agenda.

Drilon likewise mentioned various bills to help eliminate corruption such as the amendments to the Sandiganbayan Law in order to “expedite the disposition of numerous ongoing cases bogged-down in the anti-graft court; amendments to the Republic Act 6770, or the Ombudsman Act, are “being seriously considered; and the Whistleblower’s Act and Witness Protection Program, among others.

“Our next actions will be devoted towards developing ways to ensure that the threat of corruption will no longer be an ugly stain on our nation and on our people. We can only regain the public’s trust by genuinely acting towards eliminating the scourge of corruption from institutions that are supposed to serve the people,” said Drilon. 

-end-