TUGUEGARAO CITY, CAGAYAN - On April 21, 2021, the DILG Regional Office 02, in partnership with DWPE Radyo Pilipinas Tuguegarao, conducted the radio program dubbed as “Ikaw at ang Gobyernong Lokal: LGRRC on Air” with Atty. Joy Olga Rabang of the Bantay Korapsyon Project Management Office (BK-PMO) of the DILG Central Office. Atty. Rabang, who served as the resource person, tackled the Bantay Korapsyon program of the Department.
During the interview, Atty. Rabang underscored that the said program materialized because three major problems in the country need to be addressed promptly – corruption, illegal drugs, and the increasing criminality rate.
“Pagka-assume po ni Pangulong Duterte bilang Presidente, three major problems po yung panawagan niyang kailangang puksain. One is korapsyon, second is drugs, and third is criminality. Ang Bantay Korapsyon po ang sagot ng DILG sa panawagang ito”, she said.
Asked on the function of the said program, Atty. Rabang stressed that Department Order No. 2018-874 was issued to create the Bantay Korapsyon (BK) flagship program. As to its objective, Atty. Rabang said that the “Bantay Korapsyon is aimed to reduce, if not, totally eliminate corruption.”
The BK program consists of three major strategies namely to educate, to prevent, and to deter corruption. With this, Atty. Rabang emphasized that the operation of the said program includes several plans, projects, and programs such as advocacy campaign, production of informative materials, conduct of webinar and capacity development activities, fact-finding investigation, and transmittal of complaints to LGUs. She added that the Department created BK Regional Operating Units to review complaints involving local government unit officials and employees.
Atty. Rabang said that the BK-PMO already received a close to a thousand complaints since 2018, 44 of which were transmitted to the Office of the Ombudsman and 33 to the Commission on Audit.
“Mayroon din po tayong mga complaints na galing sa Presidential Action Center, Public Affairs and Communication Service, at Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission. Galing po ito sa private individuals through courier or hand-carry sa office.”
From 2018 up to the present, the BK program of the DILG received a lessening number of corruption-related complaints in LGUs thereby rendering such program feasible and effective even during this pandemic, Rabang said. (SOURCE: BK Coordinator DIANNE HANNALY P. AQUINO)
