FIGHTING CORRUPTION

THROUGH CITIZEN ACTION FOR

A CCOUNTABILIT Y &
D E M O C R AT I C L E A D E R S H I P
J OY AC E R O N
G O V E R N M E N T WAT C H ( W W W. G - WAT C H . O R G )
A C C O U N TA B I L I T Y R E S E A R C H C E N T E R
( W W W. A C C O U N TA B I L I T Y R E S E A R C H . O R G )

FEU Public Intellectual Lecture Series

July 26, 2019
 `

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• Created in 2000 in response to the widespread

reports of corruption
• Specialized in expenditure monitoring/ program
implementation monitoring from 2000-2007
• Expanded its work, linking service delivery
monitoring at local to broader policy and
institutional reforms at the national level
• a national action research organization
that aims to deepen democracy through citizen
empowerment and scaling of accountability
www.g-watch.org
• from a social accountability program to an action
research organization embedded in a loose network
and alliances of civic and advocacy groups in the
Philippines that aim to deepen democracy through citizen
empowerment and scaling of accountability
• www.g-watch.org: over 100 knowledge outputs
• Network of volunteer-based 10 core groups, 5 partner
organizations all over the Philippines learning, doing,
researching strategic approaches

www.g-watch.org
In partnership with… www.accountabilityresearch.org
CORRUPTION DEFINED…

• Simply put, use of public means for private gains

• C = M + D – A (Robert Klitgaard 1988)

C: corruption
M: monopoly
D: discretion
A: accountability
POINT 1

•Philippines has numerous laws, policies and

mechanisms to fight corruption
ANTI-CORRUPTION LAWS AND
POLICIES
• Philippine Constitution
– Article II, Sections 1 (power emanates from the people), 27 (integrity in public service, effective measures
against corruption) & 28 (full public disclosure)
– Article III, Section 7 (right to information)
– Article IX, Constitutional Commissions CSC, Comelec, COA, Sec 2 (conflict of interest)
– Article XI: Accountability of Public Officers
– Article XIII: CHR
• Republic Act No. 3019, Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act
• Republic Act No. 6770, Ombudsman Act of 1989
• Republic Act No. 6713, Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees
ANTI-CORRUPTION LAWS AND
POLICIES
• Presidential Decree 1606. An Act Creating Sandiganbayan
• Republic Act No. 8249, An Act Further Defining the Jurisdiction of
the Sandiganbayan.
• Republic Ac 7975. An Act to Strengthen the Functional and
Structural Organization of Sandiganbayan, Amending for that
purpose Presidential Decree No. 1606, as Amended.
• Batas Pambansa Bilang 195. Amending 8-11, 13 of RA 3019
• Presidential Decree No. 677. Amending Section 7 of RA 3019
• Republic Act No. 1379. Amendment to BP 195.
ANTI-CORRUPTION MECHANISMS
AND INITIATIVES
• United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC)
• Anti-Red Tape Act (ARTA)
• Citizen monitoring in project implementation
• Citizen participation in public financial management
• Validation in Agency Procurement Compliance Performance Indicators (APCPI)
• Community-based monitoring
• Witnesses in construction performance evaluation system (CPES)
• Civic technology (DevLive) – mobile platform for government and citizens to collect and
analyze data (pilot: CMGP)
• Results Framework monitoring and impact study
POINT 2

•Yet, corruption remains prevalent

SOME FIGURES ON STATE OF
CORRUPTION
• Transparency Corruption Perception Index (CPI)
Year Standing Points
2010 134
2015 95/168 35
2016 101/168 35
2017 114/180 34
2018 99/180 36

Regional average: 44
0=highly corrupt, 100 least
SOME FIGURES ON STATE OF
CORRUPTION
• 2013 OMB survey:
– reporting of bribery is low: 5.3% of families solicited with bribe
– 1 in every 20 families paid bribe
– basic social services are more prone
– poor are the ones resorting to bribe
• Less Filipino executives asked for bribe: from 50% in 2012 to 44% in 2013, 2014/ 2015
• Global Financial Integrity (GFI, 2015),:between 1990 and 2011 alone, the government has lost
$23 billion or P1 trillion in tax revenues
• GFI, 2015: $132.9 billion or more than P6 trillion in illicit money outflows or over P357
billion yearly on average
• 2011 COA report: government lost P101.816 billion to graft and corruption in 2011
COUNTLESS RECENT NEWS ON
CORRUPTION AND IRREGULARITIES
• Over-charging in PhilHealth: Php 154B
• Customs: 60 officials alleged to be involved in corruption to be sacked
• Rappler: out of 323 audit reports reviewed, half of all government agencies and
GOCCs have doubtful accounts, excessive spending
• PTV4-DoT Php 60M scandal (COA)
• Use of Php3B out of Php 5B NFA fund for debt instead of rice/ food security
(COA)
• Anomalies in AFP/ PNP housing: 28 projects worth Php 10.6B (COA)
• Several officials involved in corruption got sacked but got re-appointed
DILG Presentation. G-Watch State of Accountability Forum Series July 2019
DILG Presentation. G-Watch State of Accountability Forum Series July 2019
POINT 3

•There is a need to change how we

fight corruption
CHARACTERISTICS OF CORRUPTION AND THE
FIGHT AGAINST IT
• Corruption is a systemic problem that evolves and adapts
• Fight against corruption is political. There are vested interests that benefit
from corruption at all levels (systemic). ‘Losers’ from corruption, however,
remain abstract and general: “people,” “country,” “government”
• Not many proposed solutions today are new. Problem is learning: how
proposed solutions are put to action. Needs to think hard of how to
change top-down approaches.
• Anti-corruption efforts need to be sustainable and capable of learning to
adapt, evolve, transform. It needs to employ a multi-level convergent ‘eco-
systemic’ approach to accountability that centers on citizens.
www.g-watch.org
 Not just a case of
inefficiency/ bad
performance  lack of
transparency and
They abuse
Point 3.1: power standards
They and become
get Self- more
Elected Perpetuating powerful.
Need to Cycle it is not just a case of
Broaden/ corruption  individuals
We watch and getting private gains through
Deepen the guard them. public means
Analysis of
Corruption
it is also a case of corruption being used by
few to stay in power with a system of
impunity and injustice unable to hold them
to account

Corruption requires democratic institutional and political reform

 • Electoral and party reform
Democratic
–Passage of Party Law
Political
–Strengthening of Comelec
and
–‘Streamlining’ it
Institutional
• Constitutional reform
Reforms
• Justice reform
Needed
• Strengthening of accountability institutions
and mechanisms
 POINT 3.2:
ENABLE INTEGRATED & STRATEGIC CITIZEN ACTION

Citizens must be
They abuse power involved in all critical
They get
and become more
powerful. ‘Reform-Oriented’ decisions that affect
Elected
VICIOUS Electoral their lives - in the
Cycle Contestation decision on who
Broadening/ Deepening the Framing

holds power (most

We watch and basic citizen-
guard them.
government linkage),
in governance and in
institution-building
ENABLING
POLICIES

Limits Citizen Engagement Economic

in Governance Empowerment
What citizen
action
approaches can
effectively
advance
accountability
and ensure
effective passage
& implementation 7 cases of citizen-led reform
of policies that campaigns that delivered gains:
protect rights, • Textbook Count
prevent abuse and • Agrarian Campaign
advance justice • Indigenous People Rights
and democratize • Reproductive Health
• Anti-Mining
politics? • Disaster Management
• Housing
 C OV E R E D A S H I G H A S
8 5 % O F 5 , 0 0 0 D E L I V E RY
P O I N T S N AT I O N W I D E
T H R O U G H PA R T N E R S H I P
WITH ABOUT
4 7 N AT I O N A L A N D
LOCAL CSOS
 PRICE
From Php 80-120 to
• procurement of Php 30-45 per textbook
textbooks done with
civil society orgs’
(CSO) observers TIME
From 24 months to an
• textbooks cheaper and average of 12 months
are procured in a
shorter period of time PARTICIPANTS
47 CSOs nationwide,
• mobilized many CSOs thousands of volunteers

• higher public trust

rating for DepEd PUBLIC TRUST
One of the most trusted
agencies in 2006

G-Watch coordinated Textbook Count (02-07):

Results and Coverage
 The G-Watch SAc Approach
Access and RESULTS
joint citizen-
support
government
Objective
monitoring • capacitated/ mobilized
advocacy tool citizens and civil society for
monitoring
data- and
easy-to-
evidence-
based
use tools • contributed to the efficiency
Citizen-
Government of service delivery: reduction
Engagement in
Accountability
Capacitating of price, shortening of
citizens procurement period,
ensuring projects are
implemented according to
community
preventive
and pre-
standards
-based
emptive

• provided inputs to policy/

Empowerment Limits of ex-
and post facto
program/ system
sustainability accountability improvement, budget
preparations
What citizen action
approaches can
effectively advance
accountability and
ensure effective
passage &
implementation of
policies that Place your screenshot here
protect rights,
prevent abuse and
advance justice and
democratize
politics?

Eg. ‘Bibingka Strategy’

in AR Campaign
STRENGTHENING ‘ACCOUNTABILITY
ECOSYSTEM’
Response /
information Mechanisms Capable citizens
Decision-Making

• Access to • Checks-and- • Electoral outcomes • support to

information balances • Appointments/ civil society
• Transparency • Elections hiring • programmatic
• Monitoring and • Information-/
measures political parties
audit systems Research-based
• Research and with strong
• Accountability policy-making/
information links to citizens
institutions (OMB, planning
management • human
CHR) • Response/ actions
• Merit-based development
on monitoring and
bureaucracy assessment reports
• Local participatory • administration of
bodies justice
 POINT 3.3:
DEMAND & SEARCH FOR DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP

• What is democratic leadership?

– Effective: Delivers on goals, mandates and
commitments
– Empowering: Enables citizen participation through
transparency and accountability
– Ethical: Does the right (moral) thing the right
(practical) ways (A. La Vina, 2006)
Why is democratic leadership crucial?

LESSONS FROM NAGA CITY PEOPLE’S

COUNCIL (NCPC)
• NCPC is a federation of all peoples’ organizations in Naga City that
was able to
– Facilitate, sustain and consolidate people’s participation
– Make participatory good governance a norm, rather than an exemption
– Hold government officials accountable to the people
– Deepen people’s participation to include social and economic
policy questions
• Arguably, NCPC was pivotal to the success of Naga City
• Effective, empowering and ethical leadership was
pivotal to enabling NCPC and vice versa
Why is democratic leadership crucial?

Reformers in
government are crucial
in enabling citizen
action approaches that
deliver accountability
and justice
Place your screenshot here

“…you push from

below, and we will
squeeze from
above…”
Reformist director of Mexican rural food
supply agency (before electoral
democracy), address a national assembly
of autonomous Community Food Councils Fox, Jonathan. “Transparency and Accountability: Unpacking
Keywords.” PPT Presentation for Learning Exchange with
Transparency International. June 15, 2016.
RELATED READINGS
• Aceron, J. (Ed.). (2018). Going Vertical: Citizen-Led Reform Campaigns in the Philippines, 2 nd edition. Quezon
City, Manila: Government Watch and Accountability Research Center.
https://accountabilityresearch.org/publication/going-vertical-citizen-led-reform-campaigns-in-the-philippines-
2018/
• Fox, J. & Aceron, J. (2016). Doing Accountability Differently: A Proposal for the Vertical Integration of Civil
Society Monitoring and Advocacy. U4: Anti-Corruption Resource Center. Retrieved from http://g-
watch.org/resources/vertical-integration-research/doing-accountability-differently-proposal-vertical-integration
• Fox, J. & Halloran, B. (Eds.). (2016). Connecting the Dots for Accountability: Civil Society Policy Monitoring and Advocacy
Strategies (Report from International Workshop, June 18-20, 2015,Washington, DC). London: Transparency and
Accountability Initiative. https://www.g-watch.org/resources/vertical-integration-research/connecting-dots-
accountability
• Joy Aceron, Angela Bailey, Shaazka Beyerle, Jonathan Fox. Citizen Action Against Corruption. September 2017.
Accountability Research Center. https://accountabilityresearch.org/publication/citizen-action-against-corruption/
• FREEDOM FROM CORRUPTION: A CURRICULUM FOR PEOPLE POWER MOVEMENTS, CAMPAIGNS,
AND CIVIC INITIATIVES. https://www.curtailingcorruption.org/sites/default/files/Freedom-From-Corruption-
Final-Edits-Aug-19-2015.pdf
Thank you! Comments welcome…

Joy Aceron
Government Watch/
Accountability Research Center
joyaceron@yahoo.com
www.g-watch.org
www.accountabilityresearch.org