EDITORIAL - Citizen engagement

Fighting corruption has been a focus not only of the Aquino administration but also, for many years now, by the World Bank and other multilateral organizations, which consider the problem one of the biggest hindrances to development.

Under daang matuwid, there are observations that like the benefits of economic growth, the reforms to eliminate corruption are not trickling down to the grassroots. World Bank officials believe citizen-led actions can help accelerate the process, ensuring that communities benefit from the right development projects.

Citizen engagement to promote good government has become much easier with advances in information technology. As a participant in the Open Government Partnership, the Philippines has committed to make government information open and accessible using technology. Under this initiative, government agencies post their budgets online and promote public consultations to make sure communities get the development projects they need.

Under another program called geo-tagging, citizens can upload photos of an ongoing project to help the implementing agency monitor compliance with the project’s specifications. This will prevent crooks from increasing the project cost through ghost procurements or unauthorized design changes. It will also prevent unauthorized cost-cutting, with the “savings” going to crooks’ pockets. Such practices are among the reasons for substandard roads and other public works projects. Close monitoring will also discourage spending on unnecessary projects or those that serve personal purposes.

These initiatives are still little known in this country. The government must do more to inform people of what they can do, with the help of technology, to ensure that public funds are not wasted or stolen. Everyone has a personal stake in good government. Anyone who has ever paid for goods and services has contributed to public coffers through the value-added tax. Citizens can be more pro-active in ensuring that public funds are judiciously spent.