'Corruption risks, hot spots must be identified'

MANILA, Philippines - There is a need to map the terrain of corruption in the government in the effort to fight graft and corruption.

The Center for Asian Integrity (CAI) said there are corruption risks and “hot spots” that should be identified and contained in order to clearly recognize power structures in the country that allow corruption to thrive.

The CAI stressed this strategy during its two-day workshop entitled “Mapping Philippine Corruption” that brought together several government agencies and state institutions, including the University of the Philippines-NCPAG, the Development Academy of the Philippines, and the Office of the Ombudsman.

The group conducted the workshop under the Institute for Ethics Governance and Law (IEGL), a joint initiative of the United Nations University (UNU) and three Australian universities.

The IEGL was tasked by the UNU to engage in independent interdisciplinary applied governance research. CAI was established with its consortium partners to promote regional participation to build integrity and fight corruption.

The CAI invited several resource persons to speak during the seminar that was attended by a mixture of top academics, private sector captains of industry and veteran investigative journalists.

Journalist Amando Doronila kicked off the sessions by talking about the institutional obstacles hampering government campaigns against corruption in the Philippines.

Other resource speakers discussed the issues with particular sectors and institutions under the “Chatham House Rule,” in which participants can speak frankly on the issue without making any attribution.

Dr. Gabriella Quimson, director of research at CAI, was the convener and Prof. Charles Sampford, director of IEGL, was tasked to assist and advise on the corruption mapping exercise.