By el Amigo
MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said Friday that the government’s efforts to curb corruption should remain a continuing policy beyond his administration, warning that reforms could be lost if succeeding governments abandon them.
Marcos made the statement during a presidential luncheon hosted by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines at the Diamond Hotel Philippines in Manila, where he discussed his administration’s efforts to improve accountability in government.
He said corruption has long been a persistent problem in the country and that addressing it requires more than simply identifying individual cases of wrongdoing.
According to Marcos, government agencies need to maintain pressure against irregular practices while improving systems that limit opportunities for abuse and ensure that public officials are held accountable.
He said his administration is reviewing government procedures to reduce excessive discretion and prevent decisions that could result in wasteful or unlawful activities.
The President cited the Department of Public Works and Highways as an example, noting the establishment of a transparency portal that gives citizens access to information about infrastructure projects in their communities.
The system allows users to locate projects according to district, municipality and specific area, while also providing a channel for reporting concerns involving unfinished work, poor-quality construction or potentially questionable contracts.
Marcos said similar information systems are being developed or operated by other government agencies as part of efforts to make public spending more transparent.
He also highlighted the importance of legal and administrative changes, along with stronger monitoring, to keep irregular practices from recurring.
For Marcos, digitalization is another key component of the government’s anti-corruption strategy. By limiting unnecessary human intervention in government transactions, he said, technology can reduce areas where corruption and wastage may occur.
The President said these initiatives are part of a broader effort to improve the integrity of government operations and ensure that public resources are used more responsibly.
He stressed that the anti-corruption campaign should not end with his term, saying continued implementation of reforms is necessary to preserve progress and prevent a return to old practices.
elamigo/xf
