Morales moves to weed out erring GOCC execs

MANILA, Philippines - Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales is now in a crusade to weed out corrupt officials in government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs).

Morales signed a memorandum of agreement with the Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG) with the goal of ensuring that all board members and corporate officers are qualified under the Fit and Proper Rule.

Morales and GCG chairman Cesar Villanueva forged the partnership agreement in simple ceremonies at the Ombudsman Function Room on Friday.

Under Section 16 of Republic Act No. 10149 or the GOCC Governance Act of 2011, the GCG shall ensure that all board members, chief executive officers and other officers of GOCC boards shall be subject to the Fit and Proper Rule where “due regard shall be given to one’s integrity, experience, education, training and competence.”

The GCG was created to ensure that the governance of GOCCs is carried out in a transparent, responsible and accountable manner and that the governing boards of every GOCC and its subsidiaries are competent to carry out its functions.

The agreement between the Office of the Ombudsman and GCG addresses the necessity for the GCG and the anti-graft agency to coordinate all their efforts in evaluating the pending cases against nominees for appointment as officers and members of the governing boards of GOCCs.

Under the agreement, the GCG shall use the information to review and evaluate whether there are grounds to disqualify the nominee from being appointed to the recommended seat in the GOCC board.

Morales said such mechanism shall “weed out the undesirables and, at the same time, protect deserving nominees who are merely vexed by baseless complaints.”

The agreement also provides that “the Ombudsman shall immediately notify the GCG whenever a case is filed against any Director/Trustee of a GOCC when the same is pending preliminary investigation/administrative adjudication.”