Senators reiterate call to stop corruption

MANILA, Philippines – Two senators reiterated yesterday the call to stop corruption and red tape in government, which has adversely affected the business climate in the country.

Reacting to a World Bank report that pointed out the cost of doing business in the Philippines is one of the highest in Southeast Asia, Senators Manuel Roxas II and Francis Escudero blamed the problem on the lack of political will of the Arroyo administration to address corruption.

Roxas, chairman of the Senate trade and commerce committee, said the high incidence of bribery cases and protracted business set-up procedures have made the Philippines unattractive to investors. 

“The root of our problems stems from massive corruption in government,” said Roxas, citing the high incidence of sensational cases of corruption scandals that hit the country in the past 10 years.

“Unless GMA (President Arroyo) controls thievery in her government, investors will not even give us a second look and our economy will suffer,” Roxas added in a statement.

Roxas said the first step would be for the Philippine government to show the international community that the government is effectively curbing corruption, particularly by putting in jail corrupt officials and other influential people accused of pocketing public funds.

“The Ombudsman must take the first step by doing its job as the agency tasked to prosecute the corrupt in government, instead of letting go those perceived to be close to higher ups,” he said.

A WB report showed that compared with its closest competitors in the region, the Philippines needs more reforms if the country wants to compete for foreign investments.

The WB said in its 2009 World Development Indicators that the health of a country was measured not only in macroeconomic terms but also by other factors that shape daily economic activity such as laws, regulations, and institutional arrangements.

As this developed, Escudero criticized anew the government for its borrowing spree under the guise of economic stimulation and called on the Arroyo administration to immediately revisit its 2009 budget deficit target of P199 billion.