NEARLY 650 private firms and business groups have signed up for the Integrity Pledge initiative, giving the private sector-led campaign a large pool of participants for a certification system aimed at curbing corruption.
President Benigno S. C. Aquino III is also expected to sign the contract, adding to the list of public officials that have made the commitment, the campaign’s steering committee announced yesterday in a press briefing.
“Eventually, we plan to institute an integrity certification system for industries, which will, first, provide training for all employees on ethical business practices, and second, establish control measures to be adopted by companies to ensure their compliance with the pledge,” committee chairman Ramon R. del Rosario Jr., told reporters.
The initiative is the private sector counterpart of the administration’s own efforts to curb corruption; Mr. Aquino’s presidential campaign last year centered on the message that ending corruption would also end poverty.
“[W]e also have to do our share of cleaning up the country,” Mr. del Rosario said in presenting the latest list of signatories.
Included are the seven members of the Joint Foreign Chamber of the Philippines, Employers Confederation of the Philippines, Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc., Management Association of the Philippines, People Management Association of the Philippines, and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc.
Cabinet officials have also joined the initiative, among them Trade Secretary Gregory L. Domingo, Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima, and Budget Secretary Florencio A. Abad.
As part of the initiative, the First Integrity Summit has been scheduled for Sept. 14 at the Mariott Hotel in Manila. Mr. Aquino is expected to add his signature during the event, which has the theme “Cultivating a Culture of Integrity”.
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Source: Business World, Sept. 8, 2011
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