Senator Pimentel boggled by continuing LGU corruption

Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – Continued corruption in local government units (LGUs) prompted Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III on Wednesday to seek an investigation on the problem.

“Almost every week there is a story about local government executives, incumbent or retired, being indicted for corruption by the Ombudsman,” Pimentel, chair of the Senate’s oversight committee on local governments, said in a statement.

He noted a recent published report which cited LGUs as “No. 1 on the graft list” for having the most number of graft and corruption cases filed against public officials.

Pimentel said that for the fourth straight year in 2014, local executives again topped the list of public officials who faced graft complaints before the Ombudsman with 2,053 cases.

Although the figure was an improvement from the high of 3,854 cases in 2011, the number still showed the serious extent of the problem.

Graft and corruption usually arising from bureaucratic red tape have been the subjects of complaints by the public and investors planning to do business in LGUs, according to the senator.

He said businessmen are often saddled by so much red tape that they are forced to provide “facilitation fees” to process permits and other requirements.

Pimentel pushed for structural reforms to cut red tape and ease doing business in LGUs by simplifying procedures and promoting transparency, among others.

The establishment of a “one-stop shop” and the computerization of government records, he said, have helped reduce red tape normally associated with transactions in the past.

The senator stressed the need to further improve the system to stop local officials from turning their localities into their private turfs, and avoid the temptation of violating laws because of personal and vested interests. CB