APEC vows collective action vs corruption

YOKOHAMA – Foreign and trade ministers attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit here have agreed to adopt stronger measures to combat corruption, including denying safe haven to corrupt officials.

With the theme “Change and Action,” the ministers said in a joint statement that corruption remains a serious threat to prosperity and development in the region.

President Aquino, who is attending the APEC Summit here for the first time this weekend, had campaigned on a platform of good government.

He is seeking investments, promising potential investors a cleaner and business-friendly administration.

“We agreed to leverage collective action to combat corruption and illicit trade by promoting clean government, fostering market integrity and strengthening relevant judicial and law enforcement systems,” the joint statement read.

“We agreed to deepen our cooperation, especially in regard to discussions on achieving more durable and balanced global growth, increasing capacity building activities in key areas such as combating corruption and bribery, denying safe haven to corrupt officials, strengthening asset recovery efforts and enhancing transparency in both public and private sectors,” it added.

The ministers welcomed the efforts of the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Experts’ Task Force to partner with other APEC sub-fora and with the business community in fighting corruption.

“We agreed to enhance our efforts to improve transparency and eliminate corruption, including through regular reporting via ACT and other relevant fora on economies’ progress in meeting APEC Leaders’ commitments on anti-corruption and transparency,” the statement said.

“We encourage member economies, where applicable, to ratify the UN (United Nations) Convention Against Corruption and UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and to take measures to implement their provisions, in accordance with economies’ legal frameworks to dismantle corrupt and illicit networks across the Asia Pacific region,” the joint statement read.  

At Malacañang, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. said Mr. Aquino’s trip would only cost taxpayers P16.3 million.

He said the estimate covers accommodations, transportation, food, and commercial airfare of the 51-man Philippine delegation. The five-day trip ends on Nov.15.

“Everyone is conscious about the President’s desire to cut back on unnecessary expenses, so support staff is aware that they have to trim back their numbers to the barest minimum to perform their tasks during the trip,” he explained.

Ochoa said stringent measures have also been “uniformly applied to other government personnel who seek clearance to travel abroad.”

“Only agency heads, for example, are allowed to use business class for commercial flights abroad – and only on long-haul flights to destinations like the US,” he said.

“For shorter flights, everyone has to fly economy,” he added.

With President Aquino in the APEC Summit are Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Energy Secretary Rene Almendras, Presidential Management Staff head Julia Abad, and Presidential Communications Group Secretary for Strategic Planning Ricky Carandang.

The 21-member APEC aims to promote free trade and economic cooperation throughout the Asia-Pacific region. APEC members account for approximately 40 percent of the world’s population, more than half of world gross domestic product and about 44 percent of global trade.

• Growth strategy

The ministers also agreed to forge a common growth strategy to keep or even boost growth momentum.

“The global economic recovery remains weak. We believe it is time for us to share a growth strategy to sustain recover and to lay the foundation for our future prosperity,” according to the APEC joint statement.

“APEC, as the world’s leading growth center, is in a unique position to carry out such a task,” it said, adding that APEC would work with relevant international groups like the G-20 and the ASEAN in achieving its goals.

The G-20 groups the 20 richest countries. It was established in 1999 in the wake of the 1997 Asian financial crisis. ASEAN or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is composed of 10 countries, including the Philippines.

“We are now facing challenges, in particular, of addressing volatility, creating employment and reconsolidating finance and continuing to keep a balance between recovery and the exit strategies of fiscal and monetary policies,” the APEC ministers said in their joint statement.

They also cited efforts undertaken since the outbreak of the global financial crisis in 2008 to restore the global economy.

“Since then, efforts made by economies and the international community have brought the global economy back on track toward recovery. The APEC region has been leading global economic growth in spite of the crisis and has actively contributed to overcoming it,” the APEC statement read.

“The APEC region will continue to increase its importance in the global economy as a growth center. However, the crisis has yet to end,” the joint statement read.

Ambassador Belen Anota, the Philippines’ charge d’ affaires here, said the world leaders would determine the needed changes to stave off another financial crisis. And if a financial crisis could not be avoided, steps should be taken to ensure its least impact on economies.

“So that’s what the 21 leaders will discuss, how to avoid such a disaster in the global economy from occurring again,” Anota said.

• Terror issue

The ministers also said protecting the region’s economies from attacks or disruption by terrorists is a priority.

“In light of the recent terrorist attempt against international air cargo, we especially commended APEC activities this year to enhance the security of civil aviation and urged efforts to protect air cargo and air passenger travel in the region,” the statement read.

The ministers also said they recognized the importance of effective capacity building programs that would help develop institutions and mobilize expertise and resources efficiently.

“We are committed to mitigating such threats without compromising legitimate economic activity, in cooperation with relevant multilateral organizations, the private sector and civil society,” the ministers said.

“We welcomed APEC’s ongoing efforts to assist economies to ensure land, maritime and aviation security; combat financing of terrorism; enhance cyber security and protect the region’s food from supply attacks,” the joint statement read.

The ministers also welcomed the extension of the mandate of the Counter-Terrorism Task Force.

United Arab Emirates authorities discovered US-bound mail bombs in Dubai recently, raising new terror alerts around the world.

• Bilateral meetings

Before his departure for the APEC summit, Mr. Aquino said he would have bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada, President Sebastian Piñera of Chile, Prime Minister Michael Somare of Papua New Guinea, and Japan Prime Minister Naoto Kan.

He is also seeking meetings with the US, Russia, China, and Indonesia.

“Most important – and I wish to emphasize this – our participation in APEC is an opportunity to project the Philippines to the international community. We have not had this esteem in almost a decade,” he said in his departure speech at the NAIA Terminal 2.

“But now, we are out of darkness, it is daylight in the Philippines, and we have recovered our voice on the world stage. It is this spirit of optimism I wish to share, as your representative in APEC, in my interactions in this forum,” he added.

“The Philippines is open for business – this is what we wish to convey to our partners in the Asia Pacific, and to the rest of the world. Our administration has already carried out critical reforms aimed at effecting a long-term impact on our economy,” he said.

“To urge the participation of investors, we have streamlined business registration, improved power supply, carried out more thorough policies to fight corruption, and established closer coordination between the national and local governments to improve the investment climate in the countryside. These efforts continue,” Mr. Aquino added.

The President also said “the Philippines’ ties with Japan are something that my own family holds dearly.”

“When my mother was president, she struck a wonderful friendship with Emperor Hirohito. She was also fortunate to have been invited to witness the ascension of the current emperor, His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor Akihito. These personal ties redounded to closer, more dynamic relations between our people,” Mr. Aquino said.

“Japan and the rest of APEC have time and again expressed confidence in our capabilities as a developing economy. We are equally confident that the Philippines can fulfill its role as a key partner of its neighbors in this region – especially now that our economy is ready for takeoff,” he said.

“The Philippines has long been an active member of APEC, ever since its first meeting in November 1989. We even hosted a meeting in 1996 during President Ramos’s term. Now that we have initiated the many reforms needed to revitalize our economy, the 22nd APEC meeting can serve as our platform, in our revived role as active members of the international community,” he said. With Delon Porcalla