THE Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday launched the Philippine National Anti-Corruption Strategy (Pnacs), a government-wide framework aimed at strengthening efforts to prevent, investigate and address corruption in public institutions.
Lawyer Jesse Andres, who serves as the deputy executive secretary for legal affairs at the Office of the President, said the initiative fulfills the Philippines’ commitment under the United Nations Convention against Corruption, which requires member states to adopt comprehensive measures against corruption.
“Today we have the launching of the development of our National Anti-Corruption Strategy. This is a commitment born by our United Nations Convention against Corruption, which is a treaty that we acceded to, and now we are implementing our duty to come up with a national anti-corruption strategy,” Andres said.
He said the strategy will be anchored on integrity, accountability and transparency, with a whole-of-government approach involving various institutions and sectors.
The framework will follow five pillars under the convention: preventive measures; criminalization and law enforcement; technical assistance and information sharing; international cooperation; and asset recovery.
“This is the whole spectrum of strategies that we need to craft for the government,” Andres said.
He explained that the initiative will not be limited to government agencies, as civil society organizations, the private sector, and the academe will be involved in consultations and focus group discussions to help shape the final strategy.
The development of the framework will be supported by the University of the Philippines National College of Public Administration and Governance, which will assist in consolidating inputs from stakeholders.
Andres said that the strategy is intended to become an actionable government plan rather than just a statement of commitment.
“This is not just mere declarations, but this will be a specific plan of action on how to address corruption,” he said.
One of the proposals is for government agencies to institutionalize their own anti-corruption planning by identifying vulnerabilities within their operations.
Andres compared the planned approach to existing government planning mechanisms, saying agencies already prepare strategic plans for their programs and priorities, but there is a need to establish a similar process specifically focused on corruption risks.
“If there is strategic planning for our goals and strategic planning for our gender and development priorities, there will also be strategic planning specifically for anti-corruption vulnerabilities,” he said.
He said agencies are in the best position to identify weaknesses in their systems, while the national strategy will provide the overall framework to guide reforms.
Andres said the government aims to complete the strategy within the year, with consultations expected to begin immediately.
He added that inclusivity would be central to the process, as the government wants the strategy to reflect recommendations from groups that have long advocated transparency and accountability.
“When we come up with the strategy that is coming from the grassroots, then there is a greater chance of success because the solution is already coming from the advocates,” Andres said.
The initiative is being led by the Presidential Uncac Inter-Agency Committee, composed of representatives from key government offices, including the Office of the President through the executive secretary, DOJ, Department of Budget and Management, Department of the Interior and Local Government, and other agencies.
Andres said the strategy seeks to align existing anti-corruption efforts being carried out by institutions, such as the Office of the Ombudsman, DOJ, the Civil Service Commission, and the Commission on Audit.
“Those are already institutional responses to address corruption. But the need for a National Anti-Corruption Strategy is to align all of the actions of all of these institutions,” he said.
Andres noted that the Philippines has undertaken anti-corruption programs since ratifying the Uncac in 2006, including the Integrity Management Program, but the new strategy would expand the government’s approach beyond prevention alone.
He said the Pnacs would provide a broader framework covering prevention, enforcement, cooperation and recovery of assets linked to corruption.
