ANGARA CALLS FOR JOINT EFFORTS TO COMBAT CORRUPTION

In a bid to eradicate corruption in the country and in support of the administration’s anti-corruption crusade, Senator Edgardo J. Angara called on government officials, members of the academe, media and civil society to take part in the upcoming Fifth Global Conference of Parliamentarians Against Corruption, which will be held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) on January 30 to February 2, 2013.

Angara, Vice Chair of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) Executive Committee and Charter President of Southeast Asian Parliamentarians Against Corruption (SEAPAC), announced that over 300 lawmakers and 200 observers from over 46 countries will be participating in one of the biggest anti-corruption events in the world.

“The goal of this event is to exchange ideas and learn from our fellow parliamentarians who are all steadfast in their desire to eradicate corruption in government,” he said in a press conference on Thursday.

Said conference will carry the theme "Good laws. Good leaders. Good Citizens". “By hosting the 2013 GOPAC conference, we hope to demonstrate our untiring efforts to cleanse our government of corruption--a plague in our house eroding resources that ought to have gone toward improving the welfare of our people.”

Angara also commended the strides made by the government in the fight against corruption but emphasized that a lot more needs to be done.

Senator Franklin M. Drilon, Ways and Means Chair of the GOPAC 2013 Steering Committee, credited this to the "leadership by example" of President Aquino. He said that aside from enacting anti-corruption measures, the Filipino people should have a collective "zero tolerance" for corruption.

Transparency International-Philippines President Dr. Georgina Encanto, who was also present at the press conference, discussed the media’s role in promoting transparency and good governance.

The Senate of the Philippines, together with the SEAPAC, are the main proponents of the conference, with the full support of the government and the Office of the President. The Manila Steering Committee also includes retired Chief Justice Artermio V. Panganiban, Dean Georgina Encanto, and the Department of Tourism.

In his message, President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III said, “The selection of the Philippines as host of the biannual conference of GOPAC affirms our collective efforts to establish the principles of transparency and accountability in our society. My gratitude to GOPAC for this opportunity to lead this forum and to Sen. Edgardo J. Angara for his endeavors on behalf of GOPAC as Vice Chair of this organization and head of the Steering Committee of this conference.”