THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) claims its recently launched program aims to bring the Duterte administration’s war against corruption to the level of the local government units.
In a statement, DILG OIC-Secretary Eduardo M. Año encourages involvement and participation of various stakeholders in the fight against corruption down to the grassroots level.
During the launch of the “Bantay Korapsyon” (corruption watch) program in Quezon City on Monday, Año said there should be no corruption whether at the national or local level.
“Government positions are not trophies, but are sacred symbols of trust and responsibility accorded to them by the people, laden with high expectations of accountability,” he said.
Local officials who have sworn to serve the interests of the public but are instead enriching themselves in power should be held accountable and culpable for corruption, Año added.
He explains the DILG’s flagship program “starts from the people being involved in the fight against corruption by airing their complaints” through several channels of communication.
“The community plays a vital role in this program,” Año said. “What we need is information from our citizens to pin down erring local officials.”
If the complaints or allegations are firm in substance and form, appropriate charges will be filed but if not, the DILG will either gather information through fact-finding or call the attention of the local chief executives, the DILG chief added.
On the other hand, if the allegations have corroborative evidence or statements, as gathered through fact-finding, a case buildup will be developed, which would, in turn, need the support of other government agencies, Año said.
“We will bring the service to the people and to do this we must get rid of corruption,” he added. “[We won’t be selective] as demonstrated by the President himself by firing officials, even the ones closest to him.”
The program also introduces a three-pronged strategy to combat corruption through education, determent and interventions. The education strategy includes improving awareness regarding corruption and prevention by reducing opportunities to do corrupt acts. Determent includes raising the probability of catching the corrupt and rewarding good practices all achieved through partnerships and community mobilization.
Año has warned local officials to refrain from shenanigans, as more mechanisms and avenues are now being instituted for the general public to enable them to call the attention of the national government against abuses committed in their backyard.