June 30, 2008
DAR MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 06-08
SUBJECT : Policy Directions in the Operationalization of the Integrity Development Committee (IDC), Regional IDCs and Provincial IDCs
PREFATORY STATEMENT
The Department of Agrarian Reform is one of the sixteen (16) signatory agencies of the government under the Integrity Development Review (IDR) Project or the Program on Pursuing Reforms through Integrity Development (PRIDE) — 2nd Cycle per Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) dated December 19, 2006.
Article 4 of the MOU provides, thus: "an Integrity Development Committee (IDC) shall be immediately established after the completion of the IDR Project and shall be tripartite in composition (i.e., the participating agency, Office of the Ombudsman and Civil Society Organization or Professional Organization the participating agency has rich interface with)". In compliance to this, the Department issued Special Order No. 515, Series of 2007, as amended by Special Order No. 912, Series of 2007 creating the Department's IDC, the main function of which is to monitor implementation of the IDR recommendations and corruption prevention action plans.
To fully implement the aforesaid IDR recommendations and action plans down to the field level, Regional and Provincial IDCs were also established. Accordingly, this guideline is hereby issued to set the policy directions in the operationalization of the IDCs in the Central, Regional and Provincial levels. IaEScC
POLICY STATEMENTS AND DIRECTIONS
1. As a matter of official thrust and general policy, DAR shall aggressively pursue good governance, corruption prevention and integrity initiatives in all DAR offices and operational units nationwide, with the aim of improving DAR's internal systems as well as enhancing public perception of the Agency. This will be spearheaded and monitored by the Integrity Development Committee (IDC) and the Internal Audit Service (IAS).
2. The IDC is hereby thus mandated to initiate, conduct, oversee and consolidate the implementation of said integrity programs in DAR such as the Integrity Development Review, Integrity Development Action Plan Framework, Internal Audit, Ehem Aha anti-corruption seminars, anti-fixing and anti-red tape workshops, procurement reforms, gender and development, moral recovery program, public accountability and code of conduct, among others.
The IDC shall also endeavor to design or employ other creative and useful programs for implementation in DAR in pursuit of this mandate.
3. DAR shall strengthen the Regional Integrity Development Committees (RIDCs) and bolster the initiatives of the various Regional Offices through the able leadership of the Regional Directors and RIDC members. In coordination with concerned offices and operational units, and where the necessary human and financial resources are made available, DAR will vigorously push for the massive conduct of these initiatives to include all its officials and employees, as well as all its partners and stakeholders.
4. To exemplify moral ascendancy and management modeling and initiative, DAR will give priority to the conduct of these programs among its key officials and decision-makers. The Executive and Management Committees and all Heads of Offices, the Regional Directors and the Provincial Agrarian Reform Officers will be in the frontline of championing these initiatives. DAR believes and adopts leadership by example. IHcSCA
5. For maximum broad-based impact implementation, DAR shall organize the Provincial Integrity Development Committees (PIDCs) as the downstream arm of the RIDCs. The PIDCs will be the grassroot implementation units to implement all the good governance, corruption prevention and integrity initiatives in DAR.
6. DAR will come up with the necessary circulars to operationalize and strengthen the RIDCs and PIDCs. Further, DAR will work for ample budget allocation to implement said integrity initiatives. The RIDCs and PIDCs, through their Regional and Provincial Offices, are therefore mandated to include these initiatives in their annual programs and plans of action to ensure budget allocation.
7. All the RIDCs and PIDCs are directed to document all activities, seminars and workshops, and regularly submit the same to the IDC through the Internal Audit Service. The documentation should specifically give serious attention to emerging problems and corresponding recommendations, as a result of the conduct of the good governance, corruption prevention and integrity initiatives, for the proper approval or action by DAR.
8. In the implementation of these initiatives, the IDC will effect strategic partnerships with the Office of the Ombudsman, the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission, Civil Service Commission, Ehem Anticorruption Project, other national government agencies and local government units, private sector and civil society, and the media when necessary.
This circular shall take effect immediately.
For information and strict compliance.
June 30, 2008, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines.
(SGD.) NASSER C. PANGANDAMAN
Secretary