Hotline against corruption launched

Small businesses can now report inefficiencies and corruption in their dealings with government agencies after the launch of a hotline dedicated for such complaints.

The office of Senator Bam Aquino and the Civil Service Commission yesterday launched the campaign dubbed as “Walang Asenso sa Kotong” or “WASAK” under which small business owners can air their complaints and issues against government agencies.

Aquino said the hotline numbers 16565 and 0908-8816565 give micro and small entrepreneurs an avenue to air their complaints and other issues against illegal practices like graft and corruption, red tape and extortion.

He said graft and corruption in government drives away potential entrepreneurs and other investors and prevents existing businesses from expanding.

Aquino noted the importance of the focus on micro, small and medium entrepreneurs as they comprise 99 percent of businesses in the country.

He chairs the Senate committee on trade, commerce and entrepreneurship.

“What matters to people is their day-today experience with government. While we target corruption in the larger sense, we’d like to address the people’s day-to-day experience with corruption,” he said.

CSC chair Francisco Duque said the project could improve the implementation of the Anti-Red Tape Act as the campaign seeks to provide the necessary and timely assistance to business-related concerns.

Under the project, the “Contact Center ng Bayan,” the government’s central helpline against red tape, is expanding to accommodate complaints on extortion and bribery from micro, small and medium enterprises.

The CCB will serve as the feedback mechanism through which these business owners can air out their complaints.

The CSC assured that the agency and other partners would address promptly all complaints and impose sanctions on officials and employees concerned.