Stories posted 2012

Pork, local projects most vulnerable

Daang matuwid? Payoffs
to pols still stalk contracts

by Roel R. Landingin

“I’M NOT hearing this,” the procurement expert recalls himself saying as he tried to cover his ears. He was recounting an interesting incident that happened sometime last year, while he was helping oversee a public bidding for civil-works contractors to build roads in a southern Philippines province.

The roads project was being funded by a major bilateral donor, which had hired the procurement expert to help ensure the selection of contractors was honest and transparent. The bidding had gone very well; there were many eligible participants and the price bids were genuinely competitive. Members of the bids and awards committee (BAC) also did not take a long time to recommend that the contract should be awarded to the lowest bidder.

Read more... | Posted Monday, April 9th, 2012
Public works contracts under PNoy

More open bids, savings
up amid project delays

by Roel R. Landingin

THE PROVINCE of Pampanga is one of the worst places to be in during the rainy season. Located at the bottom of a geological depression, it lies at the heart of Central Luzon’s drainage system where floodwaters from surrounding provinces converge before rushing out into Manila Bay. And within it lies another sinkhole, the town of Candaba, an old lakebed whose swamps and fields offer a temporary resting place for migratory birds on their way to and from North Asia.

No wonder Candaba’s mayor was furious when Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson in late July 2010 cancelled a P78-million contract to repair the town’s dikes and riverbanks that help contain waters of the Pampaga river.

Read more... | Posted Sunday, April 8th, 2012

SALN: Great filers, big barriers

by Malou Mangahas

AMID the rampant misdeclaration or underdeclaration of their Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) by senior public officials lies a prettier, often overlooked, picture: the few good men and women in high and low positions who follow the law most diligently and truthfully.

To this minority of good SALN filers belong a number of Cabinet members and officials of constitutional commissions. The ties that bind them are a few things. Most came from the private sector or the professions where they founded their wealth. They are political appointees, but until they became part of government nearly all had no history of engaging in party politics or running in elections. Of fairly senior age, most are self-made names with fairly good credentials or work portfolio, even before public office beckoned.

Read more... | Posted Thursday, March 15th, 2012

SALN: Good law, bad results

by Malou Mangahas

WHATEVER THE outcome of the impeachment trial of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato C. Corona, a once-ignored piece of document seems to be getting the attention it deserves at last. The question, however, is whether or not the general public’s increased familiarity with the Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth or SALN would finally shame public servants into taking it seriously and accomplishing it beyond token compliance.

Corona is on trial at the Senate impeachment court in part for his alleged failure to disclose not just his SALN, but also the full details of his wealth. According to his prosecutors, Corona misdeclared, underdeclared, or did not declare multimillion pesos of cash and other assets.

Read more... | Posted Wednesday, March 14th, 2012
Sidebar

A House of secrets

by Karol Ilagan

SINCE the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato C. Corona began two months ago, members of the House of Representatives have repeatedly said that the public is welcome to access their Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth or SALNs. The PCIJ presumes itself as part of the public, but somehow it still hasn’t had [...]

Read more... | Posted Wednesday, March 14th, 2012
Sidebar

PCIJ’s Request Log
as of March 14, 2012

BELOW is an account of PCIJ’s recent correspondences with Office of the Secretary-General, Legal Affairs Department, and the Records Management Service of the House of Representatives, as well as the offices of Iloilo Rep. Niel C. Tupas Jr., Quezon Rep. Lorenzo R. Tañada III, Marikina Rep. Romero Frederico S. Quimbo, and Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo [...]

Read more... | Posted Wednesday, March 14th, 2012

UNICEF: Cities failing children

by Karol Ilagan

URBANIZATION has two faces: brimming with opportunities for employment and development, and the other, posing threats to the health, education, and well-being of children. This is the latest finding of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in its State of the World’s Children report released last week.

According to the report, “Children in an Urban World,” children living in slums are among the most disadvantaged and vulnerable in the world because they are deprived of the most basic services. While children in cities generally enjoy greater access to schools, health centers, and recreational facilities, the study found that many are denied of necessities like clean water, electricity, and health care.

Read more... | Posted Wednesday, March 7th, 2012

Urbanization by the numbers

by Darlene Basingan and Karol Ilagan

THE United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) recently launched the State of the World’s Children 2012 report that focused on issues concerning children in urban-poor communities. (See related story) The report is replete with statistics that illustrate the situation of today’s children amidst urbanization. Below are some highlights of these figures: One in two Filipinos live [...]

Read more... | Posted Wednesday, March 7th, 2012

A different EDSA story

by Ed Lingao

THERE IS another version of the EDSA People Power story, but it is one that EDSA veterans aren’t liking.

In this new version, former President Ferdinand Marcos is portrayed as the real hero of EDSA for refusing to fire upon the assembled crowds in February 1986; EDSA was a gathering of military adventurists, veteran professional protesters and communists, and hakot crowds; and Corazon Aquino stayed tucked away in the safety of Cebu while unwitting civilians put their lives on the line.

Read more... | Posted Friday, February 24th, 2012

Two new books,
media killings DVDs

The PCIJ recently produced two new books and a two-volume documentaies on media killngs in the Philippines, with support from its donors and partners.

The first book, The Philippines 2011-Asian Media Barmeter, was published by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. PCIJ Executive Director Malou Mangahas served as rapporteur and PCIJ Research Director Karol Anne Ilagan as researcher of the report on the state of media, freedom of expressions, and professional standards and practices in the Philippines.

Read more... | Posted Sunday, February 19th, 2012

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