EDITORIAL - Beyond lip service

Filipinos frustrated over the roadblocks in efforts to fight large-scale corruption should remind the government that the country is a signatory to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. The UNCAP was first opened for signature on Dec. 9, 2003 in Mexico. It went into force three years ago today. As of last Dec. 9, which is now marked as International Anti-Corruption Day, UNCAP had 140 signatories while 128 countries had ratified the document. The Philippines became one of the 128 on Nov. 8, 2006.

Considering the corruption scandals that have erupted since then and are still unresolved, the UNCAP has done little good in this country. Last Tuesday, as the nation joined the rest of the world in marking Anti-Corruption Day, the government reaffirmed its commitment to UNCAP. This commitment should go beyond lip service and the nation should start adhering to the UNCAP, which proposes wide-ranging measures to eradicate corruption.

UNCAP sees corruption as an international problem requiring a coordinated international response. Kofi Annan, under whose watch at the UN the document was drawn up and approved, called corruption “an insidious plague” whose effects are most destructive in developing countries. Corruption, Annan declared, “undermines democracy and the rule of law, leads to violations of human rights, distorts markets, erodes the quality of life and allows organized crime, terrorism and other threats to human security to flourish.”

UNCAP calls for international cooperation, including extradition and sharing of information, in catching the corrupt, stopping money laundering and discouraging bribery. It calls on signatories to promote transparency in all aspects of governance as well as campaign finance, to uphold the rule of law and ensure the independence of the judiciary. It urges signatories to implement many measures that are already enshrined in Philippine laws but are ignored.

Filipinos can take a closer look at UNCAP provisions to find ways of getting international assistance in catching those who have made a mockery of laws against corruption and money laundering. UNCAP can also be used to push all three branches of government to do more in fighting corruption. It takes more than an annual reaffirmation of a commitment to UNCAP to stop corruption.