Senate continues to be at the forefront
of the fight vs corruption, says Villar

Senate President Manny Villar today said the Senate will continue to play a lead role in exposing anomalies in government and in strengthening the legal framework for the country's anti-corruption drive.

"The Senate, in the exercise of our Constitutionally-mandated oversight function, will continue to conduct investigations on questionable government transactions, and will be persistent in hammering out legislation that will put more teeth to the campaign against corruption," Villar said.

Recognizing that corruption remains a stumbling block in the cause of defeating poverty, Villar said the Senate has actively done its share in legislating and passing anti-corruption measures, the latest of which, are Republic Act 9485 or the act which reduces bureaucratic red tape and the Senate concurrence with the United Nations Convention against Corruption.

Villar also noted that the Senate passed the Government Procurement Act (RA 9184), which promotes transparency in the procurement process; and the Attrition Act of 2005 (RA 9335) or the law which provides for a system of rewards and sanctions to encourage revenue officials to exceed their collection target.

The Senate President added that bills have been filed by his fellow senators on the fight against corruption; among them are the Informers and Anti-Corruption Witness Protection Act and amendments to RA 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Today, Senate employees trooped to the University of the Philippines Bahay ng Alumni and joined the anti-corruption rally organized by the Multi-Sectoral Anti-Corruption Council, the convergence of anti-corruption initiatives of government and private sector including business, civil society, NGOs, academe, etc.

"Because fighting corruption is a Herculean task, we must align ourselves with other sectors and government offices in order to make our winning chances against this immoral practice more real," Villar said.

Villar also commended the Office of the Ombudsman for raising public awareness on the actions taken against corruption through the launching of the National Anti-Corruption Program of Action, a unified program of action combating graft and corruption.