Keynote Address of Commissioner Heidi L.

Mendoza On the occasion of the International Anti-Corruption Day Asian Development Bank 09 December 2011

HONORABLE GUESTS, MY FORMER COLLEAGUES FROM THE BANK, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I GREET YOU A VERY PLEASANT MORNING.

Perhaps it is only by chance that I stand here before you to talk about one thing that we dare not do. The Corruption word evokes a myriad of meanings to a lot of people, to you and to me, as well. It is the word that all of us are scared to do, yet the absence of it would mean fewer jobs in ADB...Levity aside, Corruption and Anti-Corruption advocacies indeed bind us all together today.

The level of prevalence of corruption nowadays would lead someone to believe that not doing it or actually partaking in it is no longer a choice. That choice has been inexistent a long time ago. The populace has become utterly jaded that legitimacy is now a rarity, one would conclude. We sometimes are led to a conclusion that one may be either Corrupt or

Corruptible...the only two choices laid down for us on the governance table, so another one would say.

I am addressing now a highly-esteemed group of smart people who believe in one way or the other that something is in it why Corruption pervades or why Corruption can be mitigated to certain degrees. You have countless initiatives towards that. Your works have been driven by it. We have defined its root causes and ways to eradicate it...Fact or Myth, the ramifications of corruption for all areas of governance are still around us despite what we have done and what the Governments have contributed which is why I call it the big C.

Indeed, the big C is a symptom of a variety of failures, failure in the process of government formation, failure in government to implement effective policies and failure of the
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governments to provide its citizenry the avenue to be heard. Bureaucratic corruption comes in different packages...from isolated cases of kickbacks and bribes to influence peddling and grand theft. You would also agree with me that it is country and societal specific. This is the grand scheme of things seen in different magnitude, prevalence and dimensions. No argument on that.

And there should be no argument as well if we look at our individual selves to get a better perspective...why this thing happens..how it started..because everything is conceived by ones self. But where are we in the loop?

Bess Myerson once said that the accomplice to the crime of corruption is frequently our own indifference. Corruption puts countries in a humanitarian, leadership and economic crisis. We all know that. It consumes everyones right to good governance and freedom or even leading decent lives. On a bigger scale, it creates serious impediments to social and economic development. But do we really have to face these all the time.

As end users of goods and services, do we really have to deal with low-quality services and substandard good? Despite the seriousness of the problem, governments can still show no sense of urgency. Taxes are still gobbled up by private greed... Services are consumed by favored parties...Goods are not actually utilized by the intended consumer...the Cancer persists.

But we have a right to demand and make a change. Syed Hussein in his book Corruption and the Destiny of Asia, fittingly stated that the absence of severe punitive measure does not awaken the necessary loyalty and devotion capable of inhibiting corruption. Thus there may be a need to prioritize the passing an anticorruption law but have we not passed a lot already? Have we not tried reengineering the bureaucracy, inviting the civil society, promoting integrity, etc. What is missing then? I guess its a personal conviction that each one of us is simply

responsible in fighting corruption. For so long, majority believes that fighting corruption is the sole responsibility of government mandated agencies. The private sector is no exemption. A lot of our big business companies will only be concerned with fighting corruption when economy is bad and it is hurting their internal returns. In this country, fighting corruption is almost synonymous with losing a job, being the odd and
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out of place in a bureaucratic environment being ostracized.. We cannot blame them for how many times have we seen whistle blowers being the object of investigation, of personal attacks of legal suits and overwhelming discouragement. It pains me a lot to discover that in an institution where corruption is so deeply embedded, attacking distorted systems and practices is seen as an attempt to decimate and erode institutional integrity. Thats why, coming back to an institution I love so much proved to be more difficult than what I would have expected. Last December 21, after barely having being issued my van breda card and about to begin to enjoy its advantages, I resigned from my job at the Philippine country office. The timing is imperfect so one would have thought, its almost 4 days before Christmas and almost like a week after our office retreat where I have learned to love the people Im working with. I have just obtained a housing loan thinking that I would stay in ADB for long but sadly, after only 3 months, I have to make a difficult decision of resigning from a job I love so much for the job in ADB allows me to live my advocacy while at the same time enjoy the pay. I did it to lend a face to the fight I have long started. For how can I continue working on the Philippine country development plan while at the same time depriving my own country of the opportunity to bring forth the truth and hopefully start the chain reaction? You might not know that I am the auditor who investigated the military general, resigned from my job at CoA but still continue to appear in every court hearing using my own resources. Thus when the government entered into a plea bargain citing lack of evidence, I broke my silence which consequently forced me to leave my job here in ADB. I could still remember and perhaps I have to recognize the concern of a Japanese officer who strongly convinced me to rethink of my action for he fears for my family. I must admit that before this experience, I thought that dedication I have given to fighting corruption is only a by-product of my being in audit profession. I have proven this presumption wrong for even when I resigned from the commission in 2006 and joined high paying but equally fulfilling jobs as consultant in several private companies, I felt like yearning to go back homehome to where my passion is, home to where the action is. I must thank corruption for being so persistent in our system (joke). Being so pervasive, being so systemic, I was challenged to do more than what I am tasked to performbeyond an 8-5 hour job, even beyond the confines of a public office. Let me share with you my experience when after issuing an audit report on corrupt expropriation of a government land, I did not stop there but went as far as working for a cease and desist order that was timely issued by then Ombudsman Marcelo so we can prevent at least 180 million being paid from a 220 million loan from a government bank. This means that my job as an auditor did not end in issuing an audit report and filing the same with the office of the ombudsman. The citizen in me urged me to do more than what mere official function dictates. Knowing dully well that it will take still some material amount of time before a full investigation can be completed and that last minute attempts to release the full payment were being hatched by corrupt officers of a poor LGU, I wasted no time and applied for a cease and desist order. The application was done in time when the LGU officials were already in the bank about to encash the check. Looking back I can still
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vividly recall the excitement of running against time in preventing the payment of 180 million from a 220 million loan. There was no press release nor any public recognition. In fact, the whole scenario happened when I was on study leave. This only shows that in order to fight corruption an extraordinary commitment is needed. A commitment that goes beyond time and formal structures, a commitment that is rooted in personal conviction that fighting corruption is my responsibility not only because I am an auditor but because I am a citizen and it my money that is being taken. Going back to the commission and now being part of the commission proper, I am more convinced that there is no sure way to fight corruption but for the government and its citizen to work together. I often tell my auditors, when you are given the task to audit certain irregularities and fraud, you are not only doing so in compliance with an office order. You are doing so mainly because you are a citizen and you are a stakeholder. I want them to remember that before they become auditors, they are citizens and therefore it is for their greater interest to find out how much has the government been deprived of and recommend measures that would prevent the same including filing of a case, if warranted. Ladies and gentlemen, they say that corruption is a fight against undying enemies. Indeed and thus, we need to be on guard always not only in fighting the enemy but also in seeing to it that every opportunity for corruption is mitigated if not totally eradicated. This is only possible the moment we say yesI fight corruptionTo you and the one seated beside you, now is the time to say Yesuntil we hear a resounding sound of yeses, until it converts into action, until action converge into movement until the movement creates a future when corruption shall only becomea history. Dauntingindeed but let us begin with a resounding YES! I fight corruption! Humbly, I have shared my own storyI will be glad to listen to yoursand that time I hope is soon. Thanks to all the people I worked with in Asian Development Bank, those who inspired me to go back and those who continuously support me.