Any administration that claims to give priority to eradicating corruption should be boosting the capabilities of the agencies with the constitutional mandate to hold public officials accountable. These are the Office of the Ombudsman and the Commission on Audit.

This week, President Duterte received flak for saying during a public gathering that COA auditors should be kidnapped and tortured. His spokesman quickly stressed that the statement was clearly a joke. In the age of Tokhang and Double Barrel, however, presidential statements that make light of violent assaults can inspire public officials with criminal minds to actually carry out attacks on those who dare scrutinize their illegal activities.

Similar concerns have been raised by several sectors over the President’s remarks on women, sexual molestation and rape. Palace officials have also downplayed the remarks as jokes. But critics point out that the issues are no joking matter, and could encourage sexual attacks especially on Filipino women working overseas. Migrant workers are vulnerable to abuse. Too many Filipinos overseas have suffered sexual abuse and other forms of physical violence and molestation at the hands of foreign employers.

There are many ways of breaking the ice or holding the attention of the audience during public events. Jokes can always be cracked, but national officials are held to higher standards of speech and behavior because they are regarded as leaders and models for the citizenry.

The work of government auditors is difficult enough – and dangerous in many areas. Instead of public ridicule and threats, the COA needs to have its capabilities boosted so it can do a better job of promoting good governance. If those whose job is to ensure the judicious use of people’s money are subjected to threats, ridicule and violent assault, the joke will be on the nation. But it will be too painful to laugh.

ASEANEWS EDITORIAL & CARTOONS:

7.1.DAILY TRIBUNE-  Hot potato- DAILY TRIBUNE / – CONCEPT
– Manila’s lost glory

   

7.2.  Manila Bulletin – Japan needs foreign workers in many fields

 

 

 

 

 

 

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has called on Japan’s parliament to enact a law, supported by the country’s business leaders, aimed at getting more foreign…

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 7.3. MANILA STANDARD – A new rice regime

7.4  The Manila Times – ….PHILIPPINE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

 7.5.  The Philippine Daily Inquirer –Witch hunt against teachers

7.6   The Philippine Star –  No joking matter

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7.7.  Pilipino STAR Ngayon –  Taasan pa, buwis sa yosi’t alak

 

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7.8   The Straits Times

The Straits Times says

Pick new World Bank chief on merit

 Since it was founded in 1945, the World Bank has had 12 presidents, all of whom have been American. The resignation last week of the incumbent, Mr Jim Yong Kim, a US citizen of Korean descent, almost three years before the end of his term, opens the possibility of ending the United States’ monopoly over the leadership of one of the world’s premier development institutions. If this happens, it would be a welcome departure from tradition. Over the 73 years of its existence, the Bank has become more diverse, both in terms of its membership and its activities. At its inception, it had 29 members. Today it has 189, most of them developing countries. Its mission has also evolved over the decades. It started with funding post-World War II reconstruction, mainly in Europe.

But today, most of its work is in the developing world, where it provides policy advice as well as funding to tackle poverty, build institutions and infrastructure. It also deals with issues such as health, nutrition, sanitation, climate change, gender equality and governance. Given the diversity of its membership and the fact that its agenda is focused on economic development, there is no reason – other than convention – why its leadership should continue to be exclusively in the hands of the US, which although being the Bank’s single largest shareholder, holds only 16 per cent of voting power. Despite its current disdain for multilateral institutions, the Trump administration has had a constructive relationship with the World Bank. To its credit, the administration even endorsed a US$13 billion (S$17.6 billion) capital increase for the Bank last year. However, there is growing concern among development experts that given its well-known positions on key issues, a Trump administration nominee for president might not be keen to support some of the World Bank’s initiatives, such as climate-change-related financing, support for public sector institutions or co-financing of projects with Chinese development banks, in which the Bank is active.

TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE:
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/st-editorial/pick-new-world-bank-chief-on-merit

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9.0  Bangkok Post –

EDITORIAL – COLUMN

Make fishing sustainable 

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The lifting this week of the yellow-card sanction imposed by the European Union (EU) shows that efforts to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) in Thailand have really paid off.

Read more:
https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1609094/make-fishing-sustainable

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