300 firms join private sector campaign to adopt ethical practices, fight corruption

300 firms join private sector campaign to adopt ethical practices, fight corruption
By BERNIE CAHILES-MAGKILAT

December 17, 2010, 12:55am

MANILA, Philippines – Businessmen yesterday launched a heightened campaign versus corruption in the country with over 300 companies signing in to move forward and adopt ethical practices and prosecute those that continue to commit corrupt practices.

Dubbed as the ‘Integrity Initiative’ project of the Makati Business Club and the European Chamber of Commerce and Industry and funded by Siemens AG of Germany, it aims to come up with a certification system in four years attesting to the integrity of a company.

The project will come up with standards and best practices that companies have to comply to be granted the integrity certification. The groups said this is the boldest move yet by the private sector to combat corruption in an effort to improve the image of the Philippines.

“We really need to show we are willing not just to file cases but to prosecute until the villains are in jail,” said MBC chairman Ramon del Rosario Jr.

To begin the process of cleaning, the groups announced the list of over 300 companies both local and foreign representing a cross-section of industries and size who have signed in and pledged to comply with best practices and standards of doing business in the country.

Del Rosario explained that the ultimate goal of this initiative is to come up with an integrity certification system for companies with good record and good behavior in four years time.

The incentives for these certified “clean” companies would come in the form of being part in a list of companies that could be given priority in the awarding of government projects.

Del Rosario said they will work with the government and government agencies so this initiative would have meaningful impact. He said they have initially presented this initiative to the President before he left for the US trip.

Del Rosario said that this move is not to look back on the misdeeds of companies.

“We did talk about looking forward and not to look on the sins of the past but there will be audits and compliance and if not honored then there will be consequences. We enter into this in good faith and look forward to better practices in the future and not do this for appearances,” he said.

ECCP executive vice president Henry Schumacher, however, said that those who would be caught still doing corrupt practices would be stricken out from the list.

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