Aquino leads Cabinet in full tilt at corruption

MANILA, Philippines — President Aquino is personally leading a Cabinet cluster on anti-corruption following an executive order that focuses state spending on five priorities, including ensuring transparency and accountability in government transactions.

Budget Secretary Florencio B. Abad said on Thursday that the President, in naming himself as chair of the cluster, meant “to drive home his seriousness and determination in fighting corruption.”

The Cabinet Cluster on Good Governance and Anti-Corruption comprises the Secretaries of finance, local government, justice, and trade, as well as the head of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office and the Chief Presidential Legal Counsel.

Abad himself is included since the Department of Budget and Management serves as the cluster’s secretariat.

Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa, Jr. and Presidential Management Staff Chief Julia Andrea R. Abad will participate as regular members of all Clusters.

Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda and Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Secretary Ramon A. Carandang have been tasked to attend the meetings of all Clusters.

President Aquino recently issued Executive Order No. 43, which organized the Cabinet into five clusters according to five key result areas of the so-called Aquino Social Contract — mainly the agenda he spelled out and the promises he made during last year election campaign.

Abad explained that EO 43 provided “focus in the use of government resources, ensuring the optical impact of programs, projects and activities of government.”

“From this year until 2016, funding for all programs, projects and activities that are oriented to and aligned with these five Social Contract priorities will be scaled up,” he added. “Meanwhile, those which are unaligned will be scaled-down, if not eliminated altogether.”

Aside from transparency and accountability, the five priorities are poverty reduction and empowerment of the poor and vulnerable; rapid, inclusive and sustained economic growth; just and lasting peace and the rule of law; and integrity of the environment and climate change adaptation and mitigation.