Bantay Kurapsyon (Corruption Watch)E-News

“Bantay Kurapsyon” (Corruption Watch) is an award-winning community radio program that tackles issues concerning graft and corruption in the Philippine Government. It is hosted by Paul Pastrano Gangoso, Executive Director of ECOLINK Philippines, and Mordino Visitacion, ECOLINK Program Coordinator. The program is very popular in Misamis Occidental and is now running in two other privinces particularly in Zamboanga del Sur as “Bantay Opisina” (Public Office Watch) and Zamboanga del Norte  as “Ipadayag” (Expose). It is funded by the Partnership for Transparency Fund and initially receving support from the DILG, the Asian Development Bank, the Ateneo School of Government, the Makati Business Club.

One of the many billboards erected in Oroquieta, Pagadian and Dapitan featuring a hotline for citizens to report anomalies to the Bantay Kurapsyon or directly to the Office of the Ombudsman.

On its first few airtime shows, it receive various pressures from government officials and employees hit during discussions and whose acts are sharply criticized. But instead of giving in to pressure, the program took an even sharper approach to exposing corrupt practices by directly soliciting public complaints and evidences through SMS and MMS, then publicly citing names of those involved.

Among its major accomplishments include:

A. Dismissal of a public school principal due to abuses in funds management and discipline approaches to students.

B. Release of long-delayed benefits and salaries of hundreds of employees in a public-run enterprise.

C. Eradication of government-issued vehicle misuse. (major focus)

D. Maintaining an average listener-rating of 7,000 people per show. Best local radio show.

E. Criticizing the SK. Expose on corruption issues and negligence in public services.

F. Expose on anomalies in NFA rice distribution.

G. Eradicating corrupt practices in the issuance of transport permits in the DENR-CENRO.

H. Expose on the Kotong Cops victimizing small vendors in the public market. The practices no longer exist.