The government is considering the use of a debarment list as a tool to boost accountability in government projects, according to the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev).
‘I think that the public being aware of what is a good partner and a bad partner should be part of that accountability mechanism that we need to put in place,’ DEPDev Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said in a press conference yesterday, when asked if the government is open to creating a list of firms barred from participating in projects due to violations in procurement rules.
Multilateral development institutions like the World Bank and Asian Development Bank currently implement cross-debarment with other signatory institutions to prevent corrupt entities from participating in projects they finance.
Recently exposed corruption issues in flood control projects have highlighted the need for reforms.
Budget Assistant Secretary Romeo Matthew Balanquit said in the same event that the Government Procurement Reform Act, approved in July this year, is expected to bring improvements by enabling the government to flag unscrupulous practices.
Under the law, he said bidders are required to disclose all procurement data and documents, including beneficial ownership.
‘So I think this would be a very good way of not only deterring these possible incidents happening again in the future, but also [in determining] the appropriate penalty that can be also imposed on those people who made these anti-competitive practices,’ he said.
For his part, Zafer Mustafaoglu, division director for the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei at the World Bank said that the corruption issues provide a good opportunity for the Philippines to increase transparency, step up monitoring and strengthen good governance.
‘That should normally increase the investment environment and appetite for investment. And that should actually support long-term growth. So the short-term corruption action would be a good opportunity to enhance long-term growth,’ he said.
As the Philippines aims to achieve upper-middle income status, he said there are opportunities to use official development assistance funding to increase transparency and introduce improvements for greater accountability.
‘Looking ahead, we remain guided by the Philippines Development Plan, which continues to bring institutions together behind your development goals. Collectively, the development partners stand ready to extend around $50 billion in support over the next three years, if requested by the government, to accelerate the delivery of better services for Filipino citizens,’ he said.
He said efforts will focus on areas including social development and human capital, infrastructure, as well as strengthening governance.
Balisacan said the government and its development partners are committed to ensuring that policies, programs and investments are responsive to the needs of Filipinos and support the country’s long term vision.
He said the government would also be working with development partners in embedding impact evaluation and monitoring in projects to learn and prevent costly mistakes.
‘We will continue to strengthen our monitoring and evaluation systems to guide budget alignment and ensure that every intervention delivers value and impact,’ he said.
He said reforms including the revision of the Investment Coordination Committee guidelines, the simplification of grant processing, as well as the the passage of landmark legislation such as the Public-Private Partnership Code, E-Governance Act, and the Accelerated and Reformed Right-of- Way Act are also expected to improve governance.
‘Development is a shared responsibility,’ he said.
‘With the continued support of our development partners, the private sector, civil society and the media, we are confident that we can deliver on our promise of inclusive and sustainable development for all Filipinos,’ he said further.