Is it right or ethical for public funds to be channeled into a program that seems to be named after the new governor of Negros Oriental – or is this a very blatant example of political patronage designed to help him stay in power?

Degamo’s rise to Capitol

Roel Ragay Degamo, a native of Siaton town, became governor of Negros Oriental not by election but through legal succession following the deaths of the two top officials elected in the May 2010 national and local elections.

In that same election, Degamo was re-elected as one of the three members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (Provincial Council) representing the 3rd District of the province.

In something of a test case, the recently-launched citizen’s action group Multisectoral Alliance for Transparency and Accountability (MATA-Samar) and the Corruption Prevention Unit-Samar have filed joint charges against officials and employees of the province of Samar for non-compliance with laws and circulars governing the disclosure of financial transactions and banning of billboards with names and pictures of politicians on public projects and programs.

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Photos by Keith Bacongco, Leanne Jazul, Bobby Labalan, Ruby Thursday More,
Sandino Nartea, Emy Bonifacio, and Angelica Carballo

Erring Billboards, Waiting Sheds, Ambulances and Other Public Structures: A Continuing Source of Shame for Politicians Whose Names and Faces Appear on Them

Six months after the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) issued its Memorandum Circular 2010-101 banning the use of names, initials and photographs of government officials on public projects – and one year after the Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project (PPTRP) launched its website and the campaign against this practice, we asked photojournalists around the country to watch out for, take and send in photos to help name and shame those who have abused their elected position for private gain.

Many of the billboards, waiting sheds, vehicles and bridges seen here may predate the memorandum – yet PPTRP believes officials who still have their name or likeness on public property have a clear moral obligation to change them accordingly -- and at their own expense.