Welcome to FSGO Philippines

Contribution to a Good Governance Agenda

Thursday, 17 June 2010 00:00

Proposed by FSGO for Consideration by the Aquino Administration

1. We, former senior government officials, having organized ourselves to resist corruption and abuse of power in our government now recognize that good governance occupies a central place in the mandate of the incoming Aquino administration. We forged a consensus that good governance could provide a unifying framework for the many concrete, specific action programs and necessary initiatives that the next Administration could pursue in the next six years. We recommend, therefore, that a good governance agenda for 2010-2016 be considered for adoption by the Aquino administration. This is our modest contribution toward such an agenda.

Foundations of Good Governance: Democracy and National Unity

2. A strong democracy is a critical foundation for good governance. Our people accomplished a milestone in the last May 2010 elections: through citizen involvement, "People Power" once again asserted our deep commitment to democracy, a commitment sustained through many struggles and challenges since President Cory Aquino led us to re-establish our democratic institutions in 1986. Our people's victory and relief that was the May 2010 elections came with a lot of luck and abundant blessings from higher powers to complement the heroic sacrifices of so many citizen volunteers and dedicated civil servants all across our land. A major task essential to the continued vigor of our democracy however remains incomplete. We should strengthen and complete the work of turning our elections into a truly honest, peaceful and credible mechanism for democratic decision-making by our people. We should complete the automation of elections. We should eliminate the corrupting influence of vote buying and voter intimidation that continue even with automation. And we should deepen voter education so that popular choices will more consistently be also wise choices.

Open Letter to GMA's Midnight Appointees

Filipino Version | Signatories | Sign the Petition Now | Appointees

The start of a new Presidency with a clear and legitimate mandate from our people is an opportunity to re-build and re-affirm our unity as a democracy. The need for unity is even more compelling now as our society emerges from 9 years of politics damaged by questions of the legitimacy of the outgoing Arroyo Administration. The midnight appointees of GMA are left-over seeds for our continued discord, sown by an exiting president who apparently does not care for our people’s united effort to move forward with their new leader.

A Search for Meaning in the Election Results

Sunday, 23 May 2010 00:00 Mario Taguiwalo

Let us momentarily and uncritically embrace the results of the May 10, 2010 elections as the authentic voice of the Filipino people. Let us for now set aside any grave doubts about the authenticity of that voice despite the millions of voters who were disenfranchised, many more votes of others unduly influenced by various precinct-level problems and possibilities of alleged system-wide fraud that remain. If we look at the numbers and take them at face value, what do they say about our people's collective instructions to the leaders they elected and rejected about the kind of government they want?

Justice Corona's Appointment is Unethical

So much has been said to justify the appointment of Justice Renato Corona as lawful, but Malacanang's apologists have completely missed the point. What is legal is not necessarily ethical.

Arroyo's recent appointment of Justice Corona as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court smacks of her lack of decency and utter disregard for the results of the successful national elections. Despite repeated calls from various sectors for her to abstain from making a midnight appointment and to allow the next administration to select one of the most important posts in government, Arroyo insisted on making the appointment which has resulted in:

More divisiveness in a nation that is already wracked by conflict and dissent and needs to build UNITY;
Lack of respect for the incoming President whom the people have decided should have the right to make the appointment;
The erosion of the Supreme Court's credibility as an institution not beholden to any President in cases where there are existing jurisprudence, tradition and overwhelming public opinion; Increased suspicion that Arroyo's action is meant to shield her from being made accountable for the excesses of her administration.
Arroyo's action has also exposed Justice Corona to unnecessary and unfair media exposure, because he has the credentials for the job and would have been a strong candidate anyway for the post of Chief Justice, as the JBC attested.

We, Former Senior Government Officials (FSGO), say, "ENOUGH!" For nine long years we have seen the steady decline of the pillars of good governance in our society. In many instances, amidst howls of protest, we have seen the Arroyo administration carry on without regard for the will of the people. Legality was the oft-repeated excuse, but we ask: What about ethical behavior? What about good governance? What about the interests of the country?

For Reference:

Vicente Paterno
Former Minister of Industry
Mobiline: 0917 795 7974

Vitaliano Nanagas
Former Chair, Development Bank of the Philippines
Mobiline: 0929 685 3840

Narzalina Lim
Former Secretary, Department of Tourism
Mobiline: 0917 524 7649

Isagani Cruz
Former Undersecretary, Department of Education
Mobiline: 0917 855 3350

Delivery of Automated Election Machines in Previous ARMM Election

Tomas P. Africa

These footages were taken during the last ARMM 'automated' elections. These were provided to a man of principle who believes as I do that we cannot afford to have election results that would not be credible to the citizenry. Machines were delivered to precincts by air, by motorcycles, by horse, by boat, by pick-ups towed by tractors. Will some machines be able to function after delivery through these means? How will candidates and voters alike react to malfunctioning machines or machine-unreadable ballots? We hope everyone concerned would act to have the remedies so that we can have credible election results.

The Angel of the Budget

In memory of Emy Boncodin

emy_solo
The loss of someone as precious as Emy Boncodin makes us pause from the urgencies of our daily pursuits to contemplate the meaning of one life.

It seems that there are endless variations in how we could die. We could drown in the floods of Ondoy or be among those massacred in Maguindanao. We could be crushed by a wayward truck on Sumulong Highway or run over by a bus on Edsa. We could die among those on an Air Force plane that crashed into a house upon take-off from Cotabato City airport or be among those who died inside the house the plane hit. We could encounter Jason Ivler on a traffic altercation at a congested intersection of Greenhills or be one of the nameless bodies found floating on a Davao City creek.

Emy died when her heart stopped while lying on a hospital bed at the National Kidney and Transplantation Institute in Quezon City.

Comments (2)

We have lost a dear friend and outstanding public servant

It is with deep sorrow and pain that we received the news that our very dear Emy Boncodin passed away yesterday, March 15, at 1:00 PM, at the National Kidney Institute, QC. She had a cardiac arrest after she went into a semi-coma while being prepped for dialysis.

She is survived by her mother and her sister Adel. I learned from Adel that she had been growing weak in the last months. Emy never let on to us her worsening condition, however, as she continued with her meetings and work on her projects.

She was an outstanding public servant, always did her work quietly, always straightforward and truthful about the state of governance. She went as quietly as she had served with dedication, diligence, and amazing competence.

The Tyranny of Guile

We witnessed in the past few days a rising public indignation against an attempt of this administration in its dying days to extend power by prox

y. We witnessed the brazen and sly attempt to pave the way for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to appoint the next Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

We have an administration adept at operating in the shadows trying to make a midnight appointment. Not content with appointing all but one of the men and women sitting in the High Court, this outgoing President desires nothing less than absolute domination even at the expense of violating our fundamental law.

We condemn this move to have the outgoing President appoint the next Chief Justice that also paves the way for the appointment of his replacement. This yields a Supreme Court of 15 Justices, all of whom were appointed by the same President. It is yet another manifestation of shameless impunity. It is yet another arrogant display of power. It is yet another breach of our trust. We see clearly through this brash yet clumsy attempt to shield the guilty from accountability.

We are appalled to see brilliant minds so servile and to hear spin spewing from glib but forked tongues. They have all been reduced to peddle silly lies that insult their own intelligence.

A Conspiracy to Continue Illegitimate Governance

Monday, 25 January 2010 17:01

We, Former Senior Government Officials, warn our fellow citizens that the evil of illegitimacy that has stained our nation's political life in the past 9 years is threatening to seep like sewage into our government even after June 30, 2010. The illegitimate GMA administration that has been marked by lying as in her Rizal Day declaration she will not run, by cheating as in Hello Garci, by stealing as in the NBN-ZTE deal and by tolerating abuse of power as in the Ampatuan massacre, is seeking to perpetuate itself beyond even its Constitutionally mandated expiration date. We warn of an emerging conspiracy to continue illegitimate governance.

Our countrymen look forward to the May 2010 elections as a chance for an orderly, peaceful and democratic change to elect a new legitimate administration that can lead our people to move beyond this unsatisfactory, distrusted and detested regime. Aspiring leaders have filed their candidacies. Political campaigns have been organized. Issues and platforms are being debated. We see in the coming elections our chance to re-establish the democratic principle that only an authentic and unquestioned electoral mandate defines the will of the people for the kind of leadership and governance they wish to prevail over the public affairs of the nation. This is the principle that is under grave threat today.

Event Announcement: Public Forum on the Powers of the Presidency

The President of the Philippines, as the nation's Chief Executive, has been given vast powers by our Constitution. These powers were intended for specific purposes and are bound by certain terms. While the firm and prudent use of these presidential powers is meant to facilitate good governance and ensure the delivery of needed development outcomes, the abuse of these powers and disregard for its limits is harmful to the country and weakens governance institutions.

As the country prepares to elect its next President, the International Center for Innovation, Transformation and Excellence in Governance (INCITEGov), in partnership with the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), is holding a public forum to help ordinary citizens decode the powers of the presidency, particularly in the following areas of governance:

Budget and Management
Appointments
Fiscal Policy
As Commander-in-Chief.

The discussion on each set of presidential powers will be led by a former senior government official, who will provide an overview of the particular powers involved; provide examples of how these powers can and have been abused; and propose measures on how the country’s next president can use these powers to restore people’s trust and confidence in government.

INCITEGov and AIM are pleased to invite you to join the forum, entitled THE POWERS OF THE PRESIDENCY: PREVENTING MISUSE AND ABUSE, which will be held on Saturday, 30 January 2010, at 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM, at the TPIC/BANCOM Room, Fuller Hall, Paseo de Roxas, San Lorenzo, Makati City. Registration starts at 7:30 AM (coffee and pan de sal will be served). Click here to see the event program.

So that a seat can be reserved for you, please confirm your attendance for this event with the INCITEGov Secretariat by Monday, 25 January: Johanna de los Reyes, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (e-mail), 0906-587-9490 (mobile), 634-1334/914-4059 (office). Reserved seats will be held until 8:30 AM.

We look forward to an insightful and inciting discussion towards building a more active and informed citizenry and ensuring greater accountability in governance.

Palace agenda to control Maguindanao votes in 2010?

Thursday, 10 December 2009 12:41

posted on www.abs-cbnnews.com at 12/10/2009 12:41 PM

Not convinced that there is actual rebellion in Maguindanao to justify Martial Law, the Former Senior Government Officials (FSGO) on Thursday warned that Malacanang's agenda may be to control an area known to deliver the votes ahead of the 2010 elections.

In a statement, the FSGO said the declaration of Martial Law allows the Arroyo administration "to control an area known to deliver the votes during elections at a time when the country is approaching elections that are so critical to the country’s rise from corruption and despair."

In the 2004 and the 2007 elections, Maguindanao became controversial for delivering sweep votes to administration candidates.