Since our launch on March 23 you have been in constant contact with us, sending us photos, tip-offs, allegations and requests for us to follow up stories and issues.

You have sent us a variety of photos – some showing private use of government vehicles (those with red license plates) and others showing bridges advertising the names of public officials. Parties supporting one election candidate in Mindanao have publicly threatened to report to us other candidates they claim are abusing public projects. We have received requests from a government employee to investigate every public project awarded in excess of PhP 1 million (a huge endeavor) and other requests to investigate the wealth of officials who live in a specific tower block in Makati. We have been asked to investigate the wealth of a mayor in Ilocos Norte and public projects in Davao del Sur. We have received reports and requests to look into alleged over taxation in Muntinlupa as well as detailed allegations against a senior police officer with regard to overseas contracts surrounding electronic surveillance systems.

It is good to see action finally being taken against government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) found to be breaking the law. But as we first reported here in March as our project website was publicly launched, information showing a blatant and seemingly endemic disregard for the law among some GOCC trustees and others has been freely available for several years –for anybody willing to look for it.

The Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project (PPTRP) held a roundtable discussion January 25 in Davao City on the state of transparency and accountability in the province of Maguindanao more than a year after the infamous massacre that claimed the lives of 58 people and provided image of lack of rule of law, transparency and accountability in the Philippines to the world.

The roundtable “Maguindanao after 11.23: Building Accountability and Transparency”, held at the Waterfront Insular Hotel in Davao City, featured as main panelists Maguindanao Gov. Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu; Maj. Gen. Anthony Alcantara, chief of the 6th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army; Fr. Alberto Alejo, lead convenor of the Ehem-Aha Anti-Corruption Project; and Alan Davis, PPTRP director and IWPR Head of Asia. Catherine Comandante, deputy operations director of the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative, provided the welcome remarks.
 
Davis said “the key thing is that we must all come together to press for accountability and transparency. It is not just the responsibility of the governor but everybody must take part.”

It is often said and only half in joke that no new music will ever better what has already been created: no new book or movie ever surpass the best of those already produced: So too many people the world over doubt any inaugural speech by a new president will ever match that given by John F Kennedy on January 20, 1961.

During his first State of the Nation Address last month, President Benigno Aquino III spent almost five minutes talking about the National Food Authority (NFA), the state-owned grains agency.

With millions of Filipinos having family members, relatives and friends abroad, horror stories also abound about incredulously high custom duties and taxes one pays when receiving a package from abroad shipped through post offices, whether private or public.

Calvin’s aunt sent him some thermal underwear from Taiwan for him to use on his trip to Beijing. When the package arrived, he had to cough out PhP 1,435 (USD 32) for customs duties and taxes for something that cost about PhP 2,300 (USD 51).

“Insane!” he exclaimed. “I don’t mind paying taxes but they should be reasonable. If the tax is going to be half or more than half of the total cost then it’s totally unreasonable. And where do they use the money?” Calvin sighed.

KIDAPAWAN CITY-- In his first State of the Nation Address, President Benigno Aquino III said he would push for the immediate passage of a bill protecting whistleblowers. If it happens, this could be the answer to the problems Lally Aniñon is facing for having exposed alleged malpractice among government employees in North Cotabato.

Aniñon is an ukay-ukay (used clothing) seller who alleged employees of the City Agriculture Office in Kidapawan were in the business of collecting illegal fees from roadside sellers like her. After her claims were broadcast on local radio here, City Mayor Rodolfo Gantuangco ordered the immediate turn-over of the collected amounts to the City Treasury.

President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III spent a major part of his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) revealing and denouncing how the previous administration allegedly squandered and depleted the public coffers.

Aquino said just halfway through the year, only PhP 100 billion (USD 2.2 billion) or 6.5 percent of the PhP 1.54 trillion (USD 34 billion) budget for 2010 could be used for the remaining six months. And with government expenditures exceeding revenues that means the budget deficit further widened to PhP 196.7 billion (USD 4.4 billion). “Inilihim at sadyang iniligaw ang sambayanan sa totoong kalagayan ng ating bansa (The reality was hidden from our people, who seem to have been deliberately obfuscated on the real state of our nation),” Aquino said.