Introduction

Kung Walang Corrupt, Walang Mahirap (If there is no corruption, there is no poverty) This is President Benigno Aquino IIIs slogan in his campaign for the presidency last 2010, a campaign slogan that had actually won the Public Affairs Asias Gold Standard Award for Political Communications. Aquinos anti-corruption platform had been credited as something that would bring a change in the political landscape of the Philippines.[ http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/lifestyle/01/20/11/pnoys-anti-corruption-slogan-wins-asianaward] Suffice it to say, public accountability and transparency is widely recognized as one of the hallmarks of good governance. Graft and corruption had always been a constant problem plaguing the Philippine government, causing a continuing unrest among the populace. The most current headline on the news today: the Priority Development Assistance Fund scam, is only one in a line of scandals concerning graft and corruption in the administration. This 2013 the country ranked 94th in the Corruption Perception Index of Transparency International. The Index scores 177 countries and territories on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean), the Philippines scored 36 points. Fortunately, the rank was higher than the 105 th of 2012, scoring 34 points.( http://www.transparency.org/cpi2013/results). In the regional review of the annual review of the corruption in Asia of the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC), LTD from the start of 2013 to the first week of March, the country still ranks poorly but had been singled out as the country that has intensified the fight against corruption the most in the past year.( http://www.asiarisk.com/library7.pdf) As a result of the history of corruption that had marred almost every past administration and had hindered the economic and social growth of the country, the legislature had enacted various laws to counter graft and corruption. The drafters of the Constitution of 1987 had acknowledged this problem as the paramount law provides for the accountability of public officers. Aside from the constitution there is also Republic Act No. 6770(Ombudsman Act of 1989), Republic Act No. 3019(Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act ), Republic Act No. 1379(An Act Declaring Forfeiture in Favor of the State Any Property Found To Have Been Unlawfully Acquired By Any Public Officer or Employee and Providing for the Proceedings Therefor), and other such similar laws. However, this report shall only be limited to the study of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. (http://www.doj.gov.ph/anti-graft-laws.html)