Angara: Procurement reform key in fight vs corruption

MANILA, Mar. 27 (COMSTE/PIA) -- In a recent interview with the World Bank Institute, Senator Edgardo J. Angara emphasized the importance of procurement reform in the government's continuing battle against corruption.

Angara was the principal author and sponsor of Republic Act 9184 or what is now known as the landmark Government Procurement Reform Act passed in 2003.

The veteran legislator spoke about his experience in drafting, lobbying for and ultimately passing one of the biggest anti-corruption laws in the Philippines.

"It's a subject that probably doesn't interest a lot of people although it affects everyone, everyday: how the government procures goods and services. Nevertheless we were able to build a critical mass behind the reform," he said.

This law sought to modernize, standardize, and regulate the procurement activities of the government. Each government agency or branch must conduct competitive and transparent purchases by means of public bidding.

"This law is centered on the principle of transparency. The budget of every agency is known publicly through websites and bulletins, so that anybody, anywhere in the country can put together a tender," said Angara.
Angara recalled that the bill was created to address the ever-present problem of corrupt purchasing and acquisition practices in the government.

"We thought then, we must get rid of lawless frontier where anything goes. This was a time marked by confusion and chaos when it comes to state processes," he explained.

According to Angara, president of the Southeast Asian Parliamentarians Against Corruption, the Procurement Reform Act introduced an innovation to this movement: the creation of a watchdog formed by members of the civil society.

"These people serve as our eyes and ears to guard the process. They provide a very important check-and-balance to the transactions that the state undergoes," said Angara.

Angara concluded with a very simple but striking insight on the nature of reform in a democracy such as in the Philippines.

"Reform doesn't have to begin with a battalion. It can just start with one person," he said. (COMSTE)

Senator Angara: Reexamine Original Mutual Defense Treaty

In yesterday's hearing (November 24) of the Legislative Oversight Committee on the Visiting Forces Agreement (LOCVFA) held in the Senate, Senator Edgardo J. Angara called on his colleagues to reexamine the Philippines' mutual defense alliances that could now be based on "outdated assumptions".

"We should discuss not just the issue of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) itself but the underlying defense security arrangement between the United States and the Philippines. The military bases agreement was concluded when our country was still practically a colony of the US and therefore, has many assumptions that may no longer exist," he explained.

According to Angara, vice-chair of the Senate Committee on foreign relations, the worldwide political dynamics has undergone a drastic change over the past decades. For instance, Russia--once treated as a pariah by the other nations because of their occupation of Georgia--has been formally invited by the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) to take part in a mutual defense pact and joint military exercises much like the Balikatan.

Angara also cited the historic 50-year military pact signed by UK and France to form a special military force of 5000 troops, and agreeing to test their nuclear armaments jointly. This agreement between two countries, which has been enemies for centuries, was almost unthinkable just a couple of years ago.

"My point is, the whole security architecture of the world is changing rapidly, and unless we review the original defense pact between the US and the Philippines, we may suddenly realize that we are still bogged down as the least trained, least prepared and poorest equipped military in the region. I think that has been our lack in this mutual agreement deal. These new realities call for a re-examination of all our essential security alliances and arrangements," he asserted.

(Souce: http://senate.gov.ph)

COA's 2009 Consolidated Audited Annual Report discloses problems with the undisclosed earnings of U.P. Diliman's University Hotel

(Photo by: Chanda Shahani)

The UH, as a special project under the UP System Administration, continues to operate as a separate and distinct entity since 1983 and the results of its financial position and operations, which reflected a gross income of PhP 30.46 million in 2009, remained undisclosed or unreported in the System’s books of accounts thus, affecting the fair presentation of the University System’s consolidated financial statements.

Formerly known as the Philippine Center for Economic Development (PCED) Hostel, the University Hotel was donated to the University of the Philippines (UP).

The Deed of Donation was executed between the PCED and the U.P. through its former President, Senator Edgardo J. Angara on June 10,1983. It involved the conveyance of assets worth PhP 14.6 million including the Hostel building valued then at PhP 10.99 million, but incorporating some conditions, that include among others,”that the Donee assumes any and all the liabilities of the PCED Hostel as shown in the balance sheet, including certain contingent liabilities…”

Read the rest here: BREAKING NEWS: COA Releases 2009 Audit Report on the University of the Philippines System

Will there be two Angaras sitting in the U.P. Board of Regents?

By Chanda Shahani

Senator Edgardo J. Angara, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture and a former U.P. President, will represent the Senate in the U.P. Board of Regents.

This was confirmed by the Secretariat of the Senate in a telephone call made by the Diliman Diary.

There is also a high probability that Senator Angara's son, Rep. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara (Aurora, LDP) will sit in the BOR by virtue of his probable position as Chairman of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education.

The expected result will be that if Rep. Angara sits as a U.P. Regent, then he and Senator Angara will constitute an important swing vote or two-man voting bloc within the eleven-person BOR.

Telephone calls to the House of Representatives Secretariat and to Rep. Angara's office by the Diliman Diary elicited the information that while no Committee Chairmanships had been formalized yet, there was an expectation that Rep. Angara would get this post.

The online newspaper Journal Online has said that Rep. Angara would likely get the position as part of the horse trading of committee chairmanships among different political parties that elected Rep. Sonny Belmonte (6th District, Quezon City) as House Speaker (http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php/top-stories/14612-house-committee-chairmen-named.html).

The Committee Chairmanship positions in the House of Representatives are expected to be finalized before the third week of August, 2010.

Under Republic Act 9500 or the University of the Philippines (U.P.) Charter of 2008 (http://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2008/ra_9500_2008.html) the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture and the Chairperson of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education both sit on the U.P. BOR in order to represent both Houses of Congress.

With the start of operations by new leaders in the House of Representatives and the Senate in the 15th Congress last July 26, 2010, former Senator Manuel Roxas who used to be Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture Chairperson and Rep. Cynthia B. Villar (Las Pinas, NP) who used to be Chairperson of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education have effectively stepped down as regents in the BOR.

(Chanda Shahani is the Editor of the Diliman Diary).