Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC) Party-list Representative Bro. Eddie Villanueva took his oath of office Wednesday afternoon before Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo.
CIBAC Rep. Villanueva was accompanied by his son, reelected Senator Joel ‘Tesdaman’ Villanueva, Bocaue, Bulacan Vice Mayor-elect Sherwin Tugna, and Bishop Leo Alconga and Reverend Domeng Rivera who are leaders of country’s large Christian coalitions Philippine for Jesus Movement (PJM) and Ministerial Association of the Philippines (MAP), respectively.
“CIBAC is deeply grateful to have received fresh mandate from the Filipino people. We take this with grave seriousness because the voice of the people is also the voice of God that needs to resound most loudly in the halls of Congress. CIBAC pledges to be an objective fiscalizer of the government this coming term. We will ensure that this government serves no less than the welfare and interest of the people and pursues no other than the divine purposes of God for this nation,” said the CIBAC solon who is elected for his 2nd term as a lawmaker.
Corruption watchdog Transparency International’s 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) gave the Philippines a low score of 33 out of 100 (in a scale of 1 representing the least corrupt and 100 as the most corrupt) indicating “serious corruption problems” in the country.
“I will devote the next three years of my life to ensuring that our children’s children will inherit a government that is significantly less corrupt and more God-fearing after this term. Through the Lord’s gracious guidance, we will push and enact legislations aimed to get the government rid of corruption and transform the Philippines into a prosperous country that models affluence as well as moral ascendancy before the eyes of the world,” the CIBAC solon said.
“In particular, CIBAC commits to push hard for the creation of the National Independent Commission Against Corruption (NICAC), the passage of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, and the institutionalization of digital government transactions specifically to cut red tape and improve revenue generation, just to name a few,” added the Villanueva, who also sit as Deputy Speaker for Good Governance and Moral Uprightness during the 18th Congress
NICAC is modeled after Hong Kong’s tremendously successful Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), while the FOI has been a long-drawn aspiration of the Filipino people.
Since its first election in 2001, CIBAC has authored and championed various anti-corruption measures including Anti-Money Laundering Act, Government Procurement Reform Act, Anti-Red Tape Act, Government-Owned and Controlled Corporation (GOCC) Governance Law, Ease of Doing Business Law, and the Strengthening of the Office of the Ombudsman Law.
CIBAC placed 10th among 56 winning party-lists after garnering 637,044 votes in the recently concluded elections.
