DPWH’s ‘integrity pledge’ lauded

At the fourth installment of the Office of the Ombudsman’s Integrity Lecture Series held recently at the Asian Development Bank Auditorium with former US Department of Justice senior counsel Adam Lurie as guest lecturer, the important role of private sector participation in fighting graft and corruption was stressed. Lurie said the US government has an ethics program that encourages companies to conduct due diligence, promote a culture of commitment to comply with the law and adopt a zero-tolerance policy towards bribery and corruption.

During the open forum, a member of the audience commented that corruption is also a perception problem, and one way to discourage individuals and companies from engaging the services of “fixers” is for government agencies to declare their stance against corruption – citing the example of DPWH Secretary Rogelio “Babes” Singson’s initiatives in discouraging graft and corruption.

The DPWH had been suffering from an image problem with public perception that it was one of the most corrupt government agencies, but my tocayo Babes Singson has been working hard to dispel that negative perception, instituting reforms to curb corruption not only during biddings but in every step of the process – from identification and planning to actual project construction/implementation.

Last year, Singson (in a PIA photo inspecting the Mandaluyong-Bacolod bridge) issued a department order requiring prospective suppliers and contractors to sign an “Integrity Pledge” before they can do business with the agency. The pledge – which outlines a commitment to reject corruption, promote healthy competition by not engaging in bid rigging and collusion plus an assurance to give value-for-money bids – is now one of the required documents for bidding participation. The DPWH Secretary is bent on “doing what is right” – implementing projects with the right company with the right cost, right quality, and right on time. At the recent Arangkada Philippines forum, he once again challenged contractors to “do your job right,” telling them to forget all that hanky-panky in the past.

Singson, who was one of the recipients of The Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) award for 2013 from the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Senate Philippines and Insular Life, had saved the government some P19 billion from July 2010 to November last year according to President Aquino.  

Mayor Erap drops by the US Embassy

US Ambassador Philip Goldberg showed Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada around the new building and annex facilities at the US Embassy complex along Roxas Boulevard. Aside from incorporating environmentally sustainable features such as solar reflective roofing and on-site wastewater treatment, the new facilities also boast state-of-the-art access control structures. The enhanced security within the embassy complex makes it a virtual fortress against terrorists – prompting the Manila Mayor to comment that he feels much safer within the embassy walls.

The US Embassy embarked on a facilities improvement project six years ago, with two buildings inaugurated in 2011 that now house the consular section and the veterans affairs offices and outpatient clinic. The newest building – a four-story structure – was inaugurated last year and now serves as the offices for different embassy sections and government agencies that include the USAID, the Department of Agriculture, Commerce and some law enforcement agencies.

Of course, the centerpiece is still the Chancery building – one of the most colorful and historical edifices in Manila. Originally constructed to house the US High Commission, it eventually fell into the hands of the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II and became the residence of the Japanese Commander-in-Chief. When Manila was recaptured by US and Filipino forces, the building was seriously damaged except for the ballroom which miraculously remained intact – and became the venue for the war crimes trial of General Tomoyuki Yamashita and other officials of the Japanese Imperial Army like General Masaharu Homma who is responsible for the Bataan Death March.

MVP to speak before Stanford students

PLDT chair Manny Pangilinan has been invited to speak at Stanford University on the topic of career opportunities in emerging markets in Southeast Asia. We’re told the event slated this March 10 has been sold out, which is not surprising considering that this would be a historic first since as far as we know, no other Filipino CEO had been previously invited to Silicon Valley to speak before students of a leading global research university.

Stanford is noted for producing graduates with strong entrepreneurial character, with emphasis on research and teaching that encourages interdisciplinary approaches to problem solving. Stanford’s Graduate School of Business is a top ranked business school in the US, but the university is also notable for its curriculum in engineering and the sciences.

The invitation to a Silicon Valley institution is certainly well deserved considering MVP’s initiative to produce a Silicon Valley-like “incubator hub” in the Philippines where brilliant minds can nurture their creativity and develop ideas that can be turned into profitable enterprises. Dubbed IdeaSpace, the program aims to encourage budding Filipino technopreneurs to develop start-up projects along a wide range of industries that include media, IT, telecommunications, power, water, food, healthcare, mining and transportation.

Last year, MVP and a select panel of judges chose 10 IdeaSpace winners (out of over 600 entries and a rigorous one-year selection process) that each received P500,000 in seed funds, mentoring from MVP Group executives, their own office space and living quarters near the PLDT offices in Makati, plus the opportunity to get additional funding worth P5 million upon graduating from the “incubator hub.”

Incidentally, Smart Telecommunications won the “Best Use of Mobile in Emergency or Humanitarian Situations” award at the recently-concluded Mobile World Congress in Barcelona for its Smart SafePh: Yolanda Response initiative. As one of the judges noted, the award is very well deserved because of the Smart team’s outstanding work during the Typhoon Yolanda crisis, setting new industry standards for preparing and coping during major catastrophes.

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