20 agencies join PAGC program

MANILA, Philippines - Twenty government agencies will constitute the second batch of participants in the code of conduct (COC) program of the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC).

“The COC program for Batch 2 will be administered by the Development Academy of the Philippines, which will guide the 20 participants in formulating codes of conduct that specifically suit their specific mandates and operational features,” said PAGC chief Secretary Constancia de Guzman.

The program, which starts next month, aims to promote integrity and ethical behavior within public sector organizations through the formulation of agency-specific codes of conduct, she said.

“While there is already a code of conduct under Republic Act 6713 that governs the country’s public sector, having a customized code enables an agency to address specific issues and concerns that are unique to the organization, avoid ambiguity in its values and belief system, focus on ethics and governance, and increase individual and collective responsibility, thus improving organizational performance,” she added.

De Guzman said the COC Batch 2 participants will be guided on how to understand key concepts and frameworks in code development, apply key principles in developing and implementing agency-specific code of conduct, recognize issues and challenges in its implementation, and work with a group in adopting a customized code for their respective organizations.

Earlier, 14 agencies comprised the first batch of the program, which was administered by the University of the Philippines-National College of Public Administration and Governance.

The IDAP was initially implemented in 39 agencies in January 2005 and now in 192.