500 Delegates Expected in Manila at Global Conference

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Manila is poised to welcome almost 500 delegates from 78 countries across the globe as it hosts one of the largest and most significant events in the worldwide movement against corruption.

 

The 5th Global Conference of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) will be held in the Philippine International Convention Center from January 30 to February 2, 2013. The Philippine Senate and GOPAC’s regional arm, the Southeast Asian Parliamentarians Against Corruption (SEAPAC), are co-hosting the event.

 

To date, a total of 492 members of parliament and non-governmental organizations have registered for the said conference, including members of Philippine Congress.

 

“The fact that GOPAC chose Manila as the venue for the upcoming Global Conference is a strong vote of confidence for the anti-corruption efforts of the country and the current administration,” said Senator Edgardo J. Angara, Chairperson of SEAPAC and of the Manila Steering Committee.

 

“This is an opportunity for us to showcase to the rest of the world that we are intent on cleaning up our government. It will also allow us to learn from each other’s best practices in the fight against corruption.”

           

Delegates will be coming from near and far to attend the much-anticipated event in Manila, 65 of whom are from other SEAPAC member-countries such as Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. The rest will be coming from as far as the United States, the Middle East, Latin America, Africa and Europe.

 

“The Philippine government is ready and able to match the commitment of these lawmakers who are travelling thousands of miles just to attend this important gathering. The Manila Conference is the product of the collective effort of several government agencies who share the GOPAC vision of a progressive, corruption-free world.” said Angara.

 

The Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Tourism, Department of Health, Department of Public Works and Highways, Philippine National Police and the Metro Manila Development Authority are some of the agencies of government involved in GOPAC Manila 2013. President Benigno S. Aquino III will be the Keynote Speaker at the event.

Angara Calls For Joint Efforts to Combat Corruption

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In a bid to eradicate corruption in the country and in support of the administration’s anti-corruption crusade, Senator Edgardo J. Angara called on government officials, members of the academe, media and civil society to take part in the upcoming Fifth Global Conference of Parliamentarians Against Corruption, which will be held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) on January 30 to February 2, 2013.

Angara, Vice Chair of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) Executive Committee and Charter President of Southeast Asian Parliamentarians Against Corruption (SEAPAC), announced that over 300 lawmakers and 200 observers from over 46 countries will be participating in one of the biggest anti-corruption events in the world.

“The goal of this event is to exchange ideas and learn from our fellow parliamentarians who are all steadfast in their desire to eradicate corruption in government,” he said in a press conference on Thursday.

Said conference will carry the theme "Good laws. Good leaders. Good Citizens." 

“By hosting the 2013 GOPAC conference, we hope to demonstrate our untiring efforts to cleanse our government of corruption--a plague in our house eroding resources that ought to have gone toward improving the welfare of our people.”

Angara also commended the strides made by the government in the fight against corruption but emphasized that a lot more needs to be done.

Senator Franklin M. Drilon, Ways and Means Chair of the GOPAC 2013 Steering Committee, credited this to the "leadership by example" of President Aquino. He said that aside from enacting anti-corruption measures, the Filipino people should have a collective "zero tolerance" for corruption.

Transparency International-Philippines President Dr. Georgina Encanto, who was also present at the press conference, discussed the media’s role in promoting transparency and good governance.

The Senate of the Philippines, together with the SEAPAC, are the main proponents of the conference, with the full support of the government and the Office of the President. The Manila Steering Committee also includes retired Chief Justice Artermio V. Panganiban, Dean Georgina Encanto, and the Department of Tourism.

In his message, President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III said, 

“The selection of the Philippines as host of the biannual conference of GOPAC affirms our collective efforts to establish the principles of transparency and accountability in our society. My gratitude to GOPAC for this opportunity to lead this forum and to Sen. Edgardo J. Angara for his endeavors on behalf of GOPAC as Vice Chair of this organization and head of the Steering Committee of this conference.”