G-Watch Center PPT during the kick-off of the Ikaw, Ako, Tayo May Pananagutan 2018 in Manila on February 14, 2018

1. WATCHDOGS
Balay Kalinaw, UP-Diliman
Quezon City
14 February 2018
____________________________________
Now Needed More Than Ever

2. Government Watch (G-Watch)
is a former university program on
social accountability that has
transitioned into an independent
action research network.
It is composed of 12 affiliate
organizations:
 Eight (8) local hubs and core
groups
 Four (4) partner CSOs

3. G-Watch was
established to
promote
accountability.

4. “At the most general level, accountability
refers to the process of holding actors
responsible for their actions. This involves
‘answerability’—usually formal processes
in which actions are held up to specific
standards of behavior or performance.”
(Jonathan Fox 2011: 28)

5. G-Watch aims to:
 To check government
performance.
 To demand public
services and advance
citizens’ rights.
To hold government
answerable for its decisions
and actions.

6. Accountability processes
and mechanisms are
important in order to:
 Prevent corruption
 Sanction wrongdoing
 Ensure that needed
public services efficiently
delivered to the public

7. During the 2016 presidential elections, all the major
candidates promised to protect, promote and strengthen
accountability…

8. …including Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

9. “I’ll start simultaneously
attacking crime,
criminality, and graft and
corruption. It has to stop.
Hindi ako nagmamalinis
dito, lahat naman ng tayo
sa gubyerno, merong
mga sayad.”

10. “I’ll fix the government
along the way. ‘Yung
mga mayors, ‘yung
mga barangay captain,
and others. And I will
deal with you heartily.”

11. A Platform for Genuine Change
 The passage of the Freedom of Information Law.
 The lifting of the rule on public officials’ secrecy.
 Institutionalizing governance partnership with civil
society.
 Instituting a government that is based on the four
principles of transparency, accountability, participation
and predictability.

12. “A politician says one
thing during the election,
and something else when
he takes office.”

13. The Duterte
administration
have undertaken
several actions
that tend to
undermine
accountability.

14. There is an apparent attack on press
freedom, targeting media organizations
critical of the administration.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer was
recently bought by businessman and
Duterte ally Ramon Ang.
Rappler had its registration revoked by
the Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC).
1st

15. The President has instructed the
Philippine National Police (PNP) to
withhold from the Commission on
Human Rights (CHR) any
information regarding alleged
cases of extrajudicial killings under
the so-called “War on Drugs.”2nd

16. Malacañang decided to cover the
SALNs of Cabinet with black ink to
ensure their “right to privacy.”
But then-Presidential Spokesman
Ernesto Abella still assured the public
that the government continues to
uphold transparency and
accountability in public service.
3rd

17. Duterte signed Executive Order No. 34
on 17 July 2017.
The said EO states that government
procurement worth Php500 million and
above will no longer need the approval
of the Government Procurement Policy
Board (GPPB).
This action directly undermines the spirit
of the Government Procurement Reform
Act (GPRA).
The GPRA has introduced this measure
to limit personal discretion which is
vulnerable to corruption.
4th

18. The Philippine government decided
to replace competitive bidding with
a method called a Swiss challenge.
This method does not require a
bidding process without prior
consultation or public scrutiny and
does not have any clear
accountability measures.
5th

19. The House of Representatives wants to
change the Constitution through a
Constituent Assembly.
Congressmen seek to remove several
accountability provisions in the current
charter:
 Lifting term limits
 Abolition of the Office of the
Ombudsman (Article XI, Sections 5-
14)
 Curtailment of press freedom by
adding the qualifier “responsible”
before the phrase “freedom of
speech, of expression, or of the
press” (Article III, Section 4)
6th

20. If the trend continues,
corruption will most
likely become more
prevalent under the
present government.
Citizens should
undertake collective
action to protect and
advance transparency,
participation and
accountability.

21. Citizen action for
accountability
achieve success if
these pre-requisites
are met:
1. Access to information
2. Mechanisms for
accountability
3. Citizen action (voice)
4. Response of
government (teeth)

22. G-Watch aims to take part
in this endeavor by initiating
monitoring activities along
with our local partner
organizations based in
different parts of the
country.
These will focus on key
anti-poverty programs of
the government.

23. If and when Charter
Change pushes through,
G-Watch intends to
undertake a civil society
monitoring and advocacy
campaign to protect the
accountability and
anti-corruption
principles and
mechanisms provided
in the 1987 Constitution.

24. Salamat Po!