Press Release
September 27, 2010

ANGARA: PROCUREMENT LAW IS KEY IN FIGHT VS CORRUPTION

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - "Proper implementation of government procurement laws will lead to the eradication of corruption."

Senator Edgardo J. Angara, founding president of the South East Asian Parliamentarians Against Corruption made the observation in preparation for the upcoming two-day Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) Conference that will be held next week at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza.

According to Angara, "legislative frameworks in most countries of South East Asia already provide for laws and regulations that can be used to curb corruption. However, due to political circumstances, lack of public awareness and other reasons, such laws and regulations have either been ignored or under-implemented."

"The passage of the Government Procurement Reform Act ensures that the Philippines have gone a long way in doing its part to curb corruption in government," Angara said. An anti-corruption crusader, Angara was the principal author and sponsor of the Government Procurement Reform Act, the Philippine's biggest anti-corruption measure in history.

"The inroads that the country has taken in the fight against corruption will be another step towards the Aquino administration's policy in government, of which we have sworn to uphold." Angara added.

According to Angara, the GOPAC conference aims to bring together SEAPAC parliamentarian-members, leaders and other members of civil society from the South East Asian region to discuss strategies to combat corruption, promote transparency and uphold accountability and good governance.

Among the discussions that will take place are the measures that each member country have taken to answer the fight against corruption.

"The conference will help parliamentarians identify areas in which to strengthen their performance with regard to the prevention of corruption by encouraging parliamentarians to play an active role in the design, implementation and monitoring of national anti-corruption strategies, laws or action plans," Angara said.

"By making an example of our own Government Procurement Act, we can help each member country begin the process of developing generic and voluntary international benchmarks or standards in support of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) campaign, by helping to identify areas where new coalitions of government officials, international agencies, and civil society organizations can lead to positive actions in the prevention of graft and corruption, especially in the eradication of red-tape in government transactions," Angara added.

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