|
 Message
from
The New TAN Executive Council Chairperson
Mr. Vincent T. Lazatin
Pagbabago@Pilipinas
Lights. Camera. Action. And so the spectacle known as “election season”
begins. Voters across the nation will be treated to sideshows, the likes
of which many have not seen. It will be especially true this season, as
an increased number of movie stars, actors and actresses, TV
personalities and the like, make a run for political office.
Let us not, however, be distracted by the sideshows, the song and dance
numbers, ocho-ocho, or spaghetti. Let us not allow the candidates to set
the pace, timbre, or caliber of the campaign season. Melodramatic as it
may sound, our future hangs in the balance. At least our future for the
next six years. Let us therefore, take charge and set the tone, cadence
and level of the campaign. The Transparency and Accountability Network
will do its best to try to engage the candidates, both presidential and
senatorial, on their anti-corruption programs and platforms (see the
Letter to Candidates on our website, www.tan.org.ph). We will press them
hard for substantive answers to questions that have long been answered
with vague, neutral, motherhood statements and post these on our
website. In this same light, we would encourage all TAN members to do
the same with issues that concern you and your constituencies.
These elections are different. The feel is different. Not so much
because of the
added spectacle, but because the voters seem to be weary and, some would
say,
resigned to another 6 years of leadership that is, at best, mediocre.
Never has the
phrase “least of all evils” been used so much. The hopelessness seems
palpable. It is spreading to the monied class. The talk of emigration
has been rife. Doctors are becoming nurses just to be able to seek
employment abroad. Young, urban families are uprooting their children to
face an uncertain future in other lands. There seems to be a long, slow
march out of this country by those who have found options.
So is it inevitable? Are we inexorably headed toward an abyss? Perhaps
not. Not if we intervene. Not if we say that there still is hope. In my
nearly 3 years in TAN, I have met the most incredibly dedicated people.
People dedicated to their causes and who have passed up opportunities in
the private sector just to stick with something they believe in. People
from whom I draw strength and hope. The hope is among us. It is in the
fact that despite the insane odds against us, we are still here. So
where is the opportunity for change? The crisis will provide us the
opportunity. We must take up our causes with missionary zeal!
Lights: Shine the light of transparency on all the candidates and their
platforms of governance.
Camera: Record, monitor and watch the candidates closely.
Action: Be not mere spectators in this unfolding drama; we must take
action if we are going to influence the course of this nation.
Lights, camera, action? Indeed!
2004
PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES
This year, TAN will undertake the following major projects and
activities:
Anti-Corruption Media Campaign
TAN and partner media organizations led by Foundation for Communication
Initiatives (FOCI) will launch a nationwide tri-media campaign
showcasing the Cultural Center of the Philippines production “Anatomiya
ng Korupsyon.”
The media campaign will be a timely effort for TAN to educate the
Filipino electorate on the issue of corruption and at the same time put
the elections exercise to proper perspective – that it should be
issue-based and program-based. The campaign hopes to influence the
electorate’s decision-making by bringing the issue of corruption at the
forefront and making it a priority electorate concern.
“Anatomiya ng Korupsyon” will be shown in provincial centers – Davao
City, Bacolod City, Legaspi City, and Baguio City – and in Manila. Apart
from production shows, the campaign will also involve radio, television
and print media.
Procurement Training for Trainors and Monitors
With the newly passed Procurement Reform law and its Implementing Rules
and Regulations, TAN, in partnership with the Procurement Watch, Inc.
will spread the tool of “procurement-monitoring” through the conduct of
a trainors’ training. The attendees of the training are expected to
further disseminate the tool to their respective constituents.
The TAN Operations Team will also train procurement observers to five
identified priority national agencies/offices. Through this activity, a
monitoring mechanism will be established and sustained.
Voters’ Education and Legislative Advocacy
As an effort to educate the Filipino electorate and more importantly, to
elevate “anti-corruption” as a major campaign agenda of political
parties and candidates, TAN will post in its website (www.tan.org.ph)
the Curriculum Vitae of Presidential and Senatorial candidates and their
platforms of government specifically, their anti-corruption programs.
Also, in continuing the effort to push for legislative reforms, TAN will
publish the candidates’ stands/positions with regard to the National
Revenue Authority and Right to Information bills that have been filed in
Congress.
*****
Last January 30, the TAN Operations Team was invited to present its
accomplishments and future plans at the TAG Steering Committee Meeting
held at the Century Park Hotel, Manila.
ONGOING EFFORTS IN FIGHTING CORRUPTION…
Integrity Development Review of Key Public Sector Agencies
TAN has been involved as a member of the Advisory Group of the Integrity
Development Review. Other members of the group include; Development
Academy of the Philippines (DAP), Civil Service Commission (CSC),
Ombudsman (OMB), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Commission
on Audit (COA) and USAID-EGTA. Corollary to previous efforts of TAN on
the anticorruption plans of the agencies, IDR aims to provide tools for
objective corruption vulnerability assessment and systematic approach to
benchmark and monitor efforts of key public sector agencies in
corruption prevention. It has developed an assessment tool that aims to
assist the agencies in mapping out corruption vulnerabilities of their
systems, enhancing integrity and improving anticorruption effectiveness
(IDR Brochure).
For this run, assessment shall be done to three target agencies; CSC,
OMB and DepEd, with DAP as the implementing agency.
CMFR Conducts Media Monitoring
The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility will be having its Media
Monitoring project in partnership with pagbabago@Pilipinas and Caucus of
Development-Non Government Organizations.
During the previous elections, CMFR has been monitoring the print media.
At present, the group is working on monitoring a very powerful
broadcasting medium which is the television.
The project will entail daily monitoring of news/ public affairs shows
as well as a weekly scanning and analysis of media coverage. There will
also be a bi-weekly public briefings on the performances of the press.
The content and the discourse analysis will include important variables
such as quantity (time and space), bias (fairness and balance), equal
access of major candidates, as well as issues and themes. Some of the
news programs identified are TV Patrol, The Insider, Front Page, Saksi,
The World Tonight, and News Central. With this project, the CMFR aims
to:
-
promote
the right to be informed about critical exercise of democracy
-
create
greater public awareness of the role of the press
-
promote
honest and fair elections
-
educate
the public in the process of critical media analysis, and to promote
ethical values in the coverage of elections
TAN HOLDS
YEAR-END GENERAL ASSEMBLY
The Transparency and Accountability Network (TAN) Foundation, Inc. held
its annual year-end general assembly last December 15, 2003, at the
Holiday Inn, Galleria Manila.
Dean Henedian Razon-Abad of the TAN Executive Council presented the
accomplishments of the organization for the past year. These include the
following:
-
National
Transparency and Accountability Program (NTAP) with partner government
agencies Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC), Presidential
Committee on Effective Governance (PCEG), and Office of the Ombudsman
(OMB)
-
the
Anti-Corruption Literacy Program held in Bacolod and Antipolo
-
Right to
Information and National Revenue Authority Advocacy Work
-
SEC
Registration
-
Various
publications of TAN such as “Walking through the Office of the
Ombudsman”, Guide to Government Processes and Transactions, NaRA
Position Paper, and the Annual Transparency and Accountability Report.
Also presented
during the assembly were the future plans of the network which include a
Tri-media Campaign on Anti-Corruption, Training Trainors’ Workshop and
CSO Capacity-Building for Monitoring and Evaluation of Government
Procurement, and Anti-Corruption Week.
Ms. Lileth Bobiles of the Concerned Citizens of Abra for Good Government
and Fr. Carmelo Diola with Ms. Lyra Rafols of Hagit-Bisdak gave their
own presentations about their respective organizations, as new members
of the network.
TAN friends and member organizations who participated include Ateneo
School of Government, Ateneo Center for Social Policy and Public
Affairs, The Asia Foundation, Development Academy of the Philippines,
Pagbabago@Pilipinas, Evelio B. Javier Foundation, Inc., La Salle
Institute of Governance, Institute for Popular Democracy, Hagit-Bisdak,
Concerned Citizens of Abra for Good Government, Procurement Watch, Inc.,
Konsensyang Pilipino, National Institute for Policy Studies and Lawyers’
League for Liberty. Commissioner Teresita Baltazar of the Presidential
Anti Graft Commission, Asec. Nicacio Conti of the Office of the
President, and Honorable Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo, also graced the
occasion.
Feature TAN Member Organization of the Month:
HAGIT Bisdak
Contributed by: Ms. Lyra Rafols of HAGIT Bisdak
HAGIT
Bisdak:
Towards a Spirituality of Social Transformation
A. Immediate Context:
“Spirituality” has been described as the “channeling of desire.” A
spirituality of social transformation, therefore, denotes the channeling
of the desire for change, for social change.
This opportunity came to HAGIT Bisdak (HB) last October 24, 2003 when
news of Chief Justice Davide’s impeachment in the Lower House reached
the Friends of Pedro Foundation, Inc. (FPFI) office in Cebu City. HAGIT
(honesty, accountability, good governance, integrity, and transparency
or “challenge” in Cebuano) Bisdak, one of two outreach programs of FPFI,
seeks to articulate a spirituality of social transformation through the
formation of social conscience and memory as a people.
The news left us hurt, pained, and angry. Congressional brats were not
only hitting a good man; they were hitting us. The result was Citizens
for Judicial Independence (CJI), a network where HB played the role of a
midwife.
B. Broader Context:
The anti-impeachment movement must be seen as part of our continuing
drama of nation building. Ghosts from our martial-law past continue to
hound us, corruption is pandemic, while massive poverty seems
insurmountable, contributing to other national woes. The need for good
governance cannot be overemphasized if we are to deal effectively with
these aforementioned problems.
The CJI Experience:
Events showed that anger can be channeled into something positive and
that ordinary citizens and the provinces can effect change.
In its brief existence from October 24 to November 10, CJI engaged in a
variety of activities that sent a very clear message to Congress and the
President. These included: the prayer rally that seasoned political
observers note was the fastest and biggest mobilization in Cebu and the
signature campaign that brought in 100 thousand signatures in 10 days
time - both with very meager resources.
Civil society, government, and business came together in a united effort
to express its public outrage in a prayerful manner. The youth, the masa,
and the Church represented the key civil-society sectors that tilted the
balance.
We learned that public anger needs to be channeled constructively and
immediately. Network leaders have to be credible and non-partisan. Use
of modern technology (democratext and website) is essential in
mobilization and communication, although traditional media, like comics
and radio, remain very important. Although various issues call for
attention, focus is necessary to avoid dissipation. Hence, “unity in
essentials, freedom in non-essentials, charity in all things.”
The CJI experience is new Filipino politics where the ordinary citizens
and the provinces matter. Have we reached a “critical mass”? Are people
“more critical” now and don’t take things sitting down? How do we
involve the “masa” whose participation is critical? Finally, prayer for
us is critical; hence, we began and ended with the Holy Mass.
C. From CJI to Barug Pilipino:
The fight for our nation’s soul is far from over, especially in view of
the coming elections. We cannot put down our guard. We need to be
pro-active rather than reacting all the time.
Since the issue of judicial independence has somewhat died down while
the need for HAGIT of our public officials continues to be a great
challenge, the CJI network has decided to rename itself as Barug!
Pilipino. This signifies a commitment to be vigilant citizens whose
consciences are inspired by faith.
It is high time that ordinary citizens assume their sacred duty of
ensuring good governance in our land. Let us reclaim the real meaning of
our being “Haring Lungsod” (i.e. “King of the town,” a term politicians
use of ordinary citizens alas only during election time). Public
governance is too important to be left only in the hands of politicians
and public servants.
D. The Covenant:
The basic instrument that Barug! Pilipino will utilize in its quest for
good governance is the covenant. In the Bible, the covenant specifies
the basic framework for living out a personal relationship between God
and His people.
It has four elements: it is God who takes the initiative, sets the
agenda and pace; such relationship cannot be satisfied with motherhood
statements but must be spelled out in specifics; it is entered into in a
public and solemn manner; and violations of the covenantal stipulations
lead to sanctions which are meant to bring people back to God.
These elements will be transposed to the contemporary Filipino political
scene. Our covenant has two phases: HOPE (honest, open, peaceful, and
enlightened) during the May election and HAGIT for those who are
elected. Sanctions shall be resorted to if need be (e.g. adverse public
opinion, legal recourse, impeachment, signature campaign, or recall).
Both Haring Lungsod and public servants need to make their panaad
(solemn promise) for good governance before God.
E. Laying the Groundwork:
Now comes the hard part: sustaining our efforts and integrating People
Power into the matrix of daily life. BP was launched last January 6
(Three Kings) to symbolize the journey of the Haring Lungsod towards a
new Filipino politics.
With the crafting of the covenant slated for March and its signing
before the end of April, we are now working on the following: organizing
six talks/fora; network development (not restricted to Cebu); volunteer
recruitment; resource mobilization; formation of creative-communications
team; speakers’ pool; and media networking.
We will see what happens. This is our challenge! |
