House OKs whistle-blower bill on second reading

MANILA, Philippines - The House of Representatives has approved on second reading a measure providing protection, security and benefits to whistle-blowers in a bid to curtail graft and corruption in government.

House Bill 5715, to be known as the “Whistle-blower Protection, Security and Benefit Act of 2011,” seeks to safeguard national interest through the prosecution of corrupt and erring public officials and employees and promote good governance.

The bill’s author, Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casiño, stressed the need for a law to protect whistle-blowers in order to encourage more people to come out in the open and denounce corrupt officials in the government.

“It is imperative that a mechanism be set up to secure the person of a whistle-blower and counter the stigma of ostracism so that the potential whistleblower or informant on graft and corrupt activities will not hesitate to come out in the open,” said Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Neri Javier Colmenares, another author of the bill.

Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara, also co-author of the measure, said the government needs a new institutional mechanism for integrity and accountability to eliminate scandals and restore credibility in public service.

“The litmus test for such reforms is the government’s treatment of whistleblowers. Those ‘who blow the whistle’ are most often fired and ostracized by friends and co-workers. They are accused of having a grievance with their employer or trying to profit from their accusations,” Angara said.

Marikina City Rep. Marcelino Teodoro, another author of the bill, said the bill would provide sufficient protection to witnesses of misconduct who would likely experience retaliation from their superiors whom they have exposed.

“The fear generated by such retaliation creates a chilling effect on the willingness of the people to come forward,” he said.

The bill defines a whistle-blower as an informant or any person who has privileged or personal knowledge or access to data, events or information of any conduct constituting graft and corruption.

It mandates the informant to be admitted into the Whistle-blower’s Program of the Office of the Ombudsman in accordance with rules and regulations of the Act.

The Office of the Ombudsman is granted additional powers and functions relative to implementation and enforcement.

The bill also mandates that a whistle-blower who has made the disclosure shall not be subject to any liability whether administrative, civil, criminal or other proceedings for making such disclosure or acts in relation thereto.