Philippines Presidential Candidates — Leni, Leody, Manny, Bert — vow to curb graft if elected president

Presidential candidates who attended a forum organized by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines on Friday laid out their individual plans to curb corruption in the government.

At “Usapang Halalan 2022: the CBCP Election Forum”, Vice President Leni Robredo, Senator Manny Pacquiao, former Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales and labor leader Leody de Guzman agreed on the need to stop graft.

Robredo said her administration would focus on choosing the rightful leaders to hold top government posts and implement mechanisms that would prevent them from engaging in illegal practices.

“As president, my first executive decision is to choose my appointees who will helm the offices. We should pick people not out of political consideration but they should be experts in the fields and do not have a history of corruption.”
She also vowed to push for three important components of anti-corruption which she believes are “deterrents” for good governance — transparency, accountability, and the empowerment of the people.

Presidential candidate and former Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales on said it was important to restore trust in public officials in order to eradicate corruption, adding that it also needs to reduce bureaucracy to have an efficient system among government agencies.