Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Thursday said she needed three years to win the war against corruption in her country, which she likened to a deadly cancer that the Philippines must immediately cure.

Xinhua News Agency, China View
May 11, 2005

Manila: Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Thursday said she needed three years to win the war against corruption, which she likened to deadly cancer that the Philippines must immediately cure.

In a speech before the Office of the Ombudsman’s 17th founding anniversary and the launching of the European Commission-backed corruption prevention project, Arroyo said “what Hong Kong was able to do in seven years, we could perhaps be able to do in three years.”

She was referring to the successful campaign against corruption in Hong Kong in the 1990s to build one of the most honest administrations in the world under the Independent Commission Against Corruption leader Tony Kwok, who is now a consultant to the Philippine Ombudsman.

“We shall win this war against corruption, hopefully in three years, certainly most hopefully by the end of my term through better investigation, electronic procurement, stricter bidding, anti-corruption education and other strategies,” said Arroyo.

“The winds of change are blowing in the Philippines. And I am confident that they will sweep away the deep and corrosive effects of corruption that have crippled our nation for too long,” she said.

The president noted that so far, two high ranking officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways, four from the Bureau of Customs and six from the Bureau of Internal Revenue had been dismissed for corruption charges.

“These individuals are being charged criminally and forfeiture proceedings of their ill-gotten wealth are now under way,” she added.

Arroyo said she would exert executive authority to prosecute illegal loggers, cancel government contracts with corrupt companies, find unscrupulous government officials who rob the nation and restore integrity to military leaders and soldiers who put their lives at risk to defend the honor of the nation.