Palace to hike budget for whistle-blowers

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang gave assurance yesterday that whistle-blowers would be protected and allotted more funds for the Witness Protection Program.

“In conjunction with the Whistle-blower’s Act, the proposed legislation, I would just like to remind the public that the funds for the Witness Protection Program of the DOJ (Department of Justice) has been increased,” said presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda.

“We need to protect the witnesses who give information for the fight against corruption and other irregularities.”

Lacierda said the President gave importance to the witness protection program in his State of the Nation Address, knowing that this would be a big component in the fight against corruption.

“This administration is serious to push for this bill. So we are going to discuss it with the leadership of the legislative branch to make sure that the priority bills that were mentioned in the (SONA) not only the Whistle-blowers Act but also other bills mentioned by the President in the SONA be acted on.”

The resurgence of the issue of illegal gambling and claims that several officials are supposedly on its payroll prompted Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago to refile her proposal to give full protection to whistle-blowers.

Santiago initially filed Senate Bill 1883 or the Whistle-blower’s Protection Act during the 13th Congress.

She stressed the bill would be timely and significant, considering recent developments with jueteng and Maguindanao massacre exposés made by retired archbishop Oscar Cruz and witnesses.

Santiago cited the need to encourage whistle-blowers to come out by giving them ample protection from the persons their testimonies would implicate.

She proposed that even employees in the government and the private sector should be encouraged to speak out about wrongdoings in their workplace.

Last Thursday, a support group called the Whistle-blowers’ Association of the Philippines went to the Senate to air their frustration on the failure of Congress to enact the Whistle-blower’s Protection Act.

Led by jueteng whistle-blower Sandra Cam, they lamented the shabby treatment they had been getting after revealing all they know.

Cam said that the absence of a law protecting whistle-blowers has discouraged others like them from testifying against criminals and syndicates.

With a whistle-blower’s protection law, Santiago said this would prevent witnesses from being intimidated or subjected to retaliatory action.

Santiago said retaliatory actions include discharge, suspension, demotion, harassment, blacklisting and the refusal to hire a whistle-blowing employee.

Santiago proposed that any employee turned whistle-blower could have the right to file a civil case against their employers.