Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo also said he agrees with the view of Tony Kwok, now a consultant of the Office of the Ombudsman, but pointed out this can be done after convictions have been obtained.
"Maybe later on after we have finished presenting the evidence. The case must be resolved first," he told The STAR.
Sought for comment on Kwok’s proposal, Press
Secretary Ignacio Bunye said the Arroyo administration will consider the suggestion.
"Mr. Kwok is a consultant of the ombudsman and what he was sharing was based on a successful experience in Hong Kong. So it would only be proper to pay attention to the suggestion of Mr. Kwok," Bunye told reporters.
"Of course, everything will have to be done in accordance with the law. We will follow due process but we also want to inculcate in the people’s minds that corruption is horrendous," he said.
Marcelo said a shame campaign cannot be used here the same way as in Hong Kong because the Philippine legal system is different from that of Hong Kong, which is under the supervision of China.
"In Hong Kong, they can make arrests even if no charges are later filed in court. In the Philippines, it’s very hard to do that," he said, adding that cases can be dismissed on technicalities if authorities fail to follow legal requirements.
Kwok said the other day the Philippines should conduct an unrelenting shame campaign to get rid of corruption in the bureaucracy. "This is what you need, a shame campaign. You have to let the politicians know that corruption is a high-risk crime."
Another way of deterring wrongdoing in government is using television advertisements, Kwok said, citing Hong Kong’s experience. "The best way is through enforcement and education."
Corruption is often cited by businessmen as a major turnoff for investors.
Political and Economic Risk Consultancy Ltd. said foreign businessmen ranked the Philippines as the second most corrupt Asian country next to Indonesia.
A joint survey of the World Bank, Japan Bank for International Cooperation and the Asian Development Bank also found that the Philippines is considered to be one of the least attractive investment sites in the region — due to perceptions of corruption.
Only four of 50 companies from the United States, New Zealand and Australia polled consider the Philippines good for investments.
The London-based Transparency International also tagged the mothballed Bataan nuclear power plant as one of the most expensive "monuments to corruption" in the world.
Chief presidential legal counsel Merceditas Gutierrez, who heads the government’s anti-corruption drive, said such surveys on corruption should no longer be considered "wakeup calls" because the government is now well aware of the problem.
"That is why we have to be serious about our efforts to fight corruption and government officials should be wary because the Arroyo administration will really crack down," she said.
At least P260 billion is lost annually to corruption, Assistant Ombudsman Cyril Ramos said. "If this had been collected, there would have been no need for additional taxes."
The Arroyo administration is struggling with its chronic budget deficit that analysts warn could deteriorate into a fiscal crisis and derail efforts to ease the plight of the poor.
Rampant tax evasion, corruption, bloated state subsidies and protectionism have been blamed for the government’s fiscal woes.
President Arroyo has implemented an austerity program, launched a simultaneous crackdown on tax evasion and corruption, and asked Congress for additional taxes, among other reforms, to bridge the budget gap.
In 2003, the Arroyo administration launched an anti-corruption campaign that included "lifestyle checks" on government officials.
Independent estimates suggest at least a fifth of the government budget is lost to graft.
One local watchdog group, Procurement Watch Inc., estimated that the Philippines loses P21 billion a year to corruption in the procurement of government goods and services alone. — Aurea Calica, Delon Porcalla