"There is a need to go after those who have robbed and stolen from this country," Transparency International co-founder Michael Hershman was quoted as saying in a Reuters report.
Transparency: How Leaders Create a Culture of Candor
Citing studies, Hershman noted that over 20 percent of the government's annual budget is lost to corruption.
"They must be held accountable, and this time it has to be done for real. They must go to jail if found guilty of corruption and their assets must be seized and returned to the public treasury."
The Accountability and Transparency of EU Official Development Assistance
The Berlin-based Transparency International ranked the Philippines 139th out of 180 countries on its corruption perception index, the lowest of the major Southeast Asian nations.
Meanwhile, at a forum against corruption in Makati, a Cabinet official of former President Fidel Ramos, called on Filipinos to clean their own ranks to make strides in the fight against corruption.
"The prosecution of erring officials will be a significant breakthrough but this will not be enough. This is not a fight only against public sector corruption but also a commitment to clean our own ranks. Thus we can't count on the Aquino administration to take on the fight alone, we must do our part," former Finance Secretary Ramon del Rosario said.
Hershman, meanwhile, expressed alarm that former President Joseph Estrada, who was convicted of plunder, ended up second in the May 10 presidential contest.
"I don't understand how someone could be convicted of a crime here, pledged not to run for office and wind up as number [two] candidate for the presidency. I don't understand that philosophy. You can't let that happen," Hershman said.
Piercing the Fog: A Call for Greater Transparency in State and Local Government
Aquino, who campaigned for the presidency vowing to fight corruption, has vowed to probe allegations of abuse in nine years of outgoing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. — Nikka Corsino
