ANGARA REPRESENTS RP IN GLOBAL ANTI-CORRUPTION MEET

Mexico City - Senator Edgardo J. Angara joins more than 150 members of Parliament from 47 countries all over the world who are gathered in Mexico City to affirm their commitment to the global fight against corruption.

"Corruption is a social malady whose ramifications radiate from the highest echelons of power down to the smallest departments. Its pervasiveness is, perhaps, its most lethal quality. Hence, any effort to contain corruption requires broad and constant engagement from governments of all countries, as well as all sectors of society," he said.

The 4th Global Conference of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) is jointly hosted by the Senate of Mexico and GOPAC, the only parliamentary network with the singular focus on combating corruption. There are currently over 900 members of GOPAC, representing over 90 countries in all the regions of the world.

The organization's next biennial conference will be held in Manila in 2013.

Angara was the driving force behind the establishment of the South East Asia Parliamentarians Against Corruption (SEAPAC) and is a member of the Executive Board of the Ottawa, Canada-based GOPAC. Angara is the only Asian representative to GOPAC.

The underlying basis for GOPAC's fight against corruption is no less than the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), the first legally binding instrument of its kind.

The Philippine Senate ratified the UNCAC back in November 2006, which made it the second Southeast Asian country to have done so. As member of the GOPAC's executive board, Angara was able to help craft some of the language of the UNCAC. To date, all SEAPAC member-countries have ratified the UNCAC.

On Saturday, Angara chaired the session on country chapter development which, he said, is "key to achieving results and pushing forward with GOPAC's agenda."

"GOPAC has done much, but can achieve more through effective, working country and regional chapters. The world is changing at a pace we hadn't imagined possible. GOPAC's success as a whole will depend on how quickly and skillfully we respond to the anti-corruption challenges confronting each of our countries and our regions," he added.

In the Philippines, Angara led the passage of major anti-corruption laws including the Government E-Procurement Law and creation of the Office of the Ombudsman. He continues to push for the Political Party and Campaign Finance Reform bill which will transform political parties into public institutions and maintain transparency in their activities.