Whistle-blowing portal launched

The Governance Commission for Government-Owned or -Controlled Corporations (GCG) has launched a whistle-blowing portal as part of efforts to better address corruption in state-owned companies.

GCG Chair Cesar L. Villanueva said the portal was developed and built on previous projects such as the whistle-blowing system launched in 2014 that allows the forwarding of information on wrongdoing in the GOCC sector.

Previously, Villanueva said, the GCG was able to receive information via e-mail, mailed document, text and other means. The new portal will ease the flow of information the commission would not otherwise know about, he said.

Villanueva said the launch of the whistle-blowing program, which the portal is now a part of, would help the GCG become more responsive to issues in the GOCC sector.

 Confidential

He assured the public that not only would whistle-blower information be confidential, but a dedicated team would process the reports so that false accusations would not affect the reputation of employees of state firms.

Memorandum Circular No. 2014-04—the “Whistleblowing Policy on the GOCC Sector”

—issued by the GCG on May 30, 2014, provides an ideal avenue for a whistle-blower to report corruption in any GOCC, or other misdeeds committed by GOCC officials or employees. The whistle-blower system allows the

submission of information either openly or anonymously.

The GCG whistle-blowing system provides persons with information easy access to GCG communication lines, as well as various reporting channels such as the GCG website, confidential meetings with authorized GCG officers, e-mail, mail, short messaging system, telephone and fax.

A committee composed of GCG officers and lawyers will be set up to process the information obtained from whistle-blowers.

The system allows the GCG to assist whistle-blowers who may fear retaliation from the parties they turned in.