SB: Gov’t fiscal reforms paying off, but...

MANILA, Philippines - The government’s fiscal reforms and anti-corruption efforts are starting to pay off but the country remains a corruption “high risk,” Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. told a gathering of foreign and local parliamentarians last Thursday.

In his address at the opening of the 5th conference of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians against Corruption (GOPAC) at the Philippine International Convention Center, Belmonte also made clear that Congress fully supports the administration’s fight against graft and corruption.

He said the government is now in better fiscal health with the national government deficit likely to be less than two percent of the Gross Domestic Product in 2012 vis-a-vis the original target of 2.6 percent.

“Those who have been closely observing the Philippine economy say that fiscal reforms and anti-corruption efforts of government are starting to pay off,” Belmonte said.

“This can be attributed, in part, to improvements in expenditure management while plugging leakages in the revenue stream,” he said.

“Our anti-corruption efforts to this day have not been in vain,” he added, citing the recent Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2012 of Transparency International that showed the Philippines rising 24 notches from 129 in 2011 to 105 last year.

He said according to Moody’s Analytics, the government’s boosting infrastructure and reducing corruption have attracted both domestic and foreign investments and increased the economy’s long-term growth prospects.

“However, even with the improved ranking, the Philippines remains at high risk for corruption. We therefore hope to see a further decline in our CPI as the Aquino government continues to openly fight graft and corruption, and pursue much-needed institutional reforms,” the Speaker said.

He said corruption persists in an environment where the judicial and legal systems, as well as tax administration, financial management, and audit systems are weak.

“As we cannot rely solely on the enforcement of anti-corruption laws by our police and oversight bodies, our fight against corruption should aim for its prevention by undertaking changes in government structures and processes,” Belmonte said.

He also cited the country’s resolve to comply with the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) following a multi-sectoral National Dialogue and Action Planning conducted in December 2012.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo criticized Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales for reportedly using the GOPAC to demonize the detained former leader.

Lawyer Raul Lambino said Morales called the attention of “her few sympathetic listeners” in the GOPAC to the plunder case against Arroyo.