On Forming a Committee That Investigates On Parliamentary Officials’ Accountability

Authored by: Vincent Casil, Kebart Licayan, and Nashrolah Langco

The Philippine constitution underscores that public office is a public trust. Accountability of the public officers should be a paramount concern of just governance, as, without accountability, one cannot ensure that the government is working for the people and providing service for the community. Accountability also guarantees that misdoings, if not prevented, shall be rectified. Different governments around the world, including the Philippines, have formed various institutions that address issues of corruption. One of the key committees in the Philippine national government that is concerned with accountability is the Blue Ribbon Committee. In the regional setting, the Bangsamoro Parliament has similar needs to prevent misconduct and hold public officials accountable. However, the institutions to be built to serve such purposes should be critically examined to express Bangsamoro’s regional autonomy and democratic capacities of its Parliamentary form of government. This paper provides notes on the unique powers of the Parliament to oversight and issues on the formation of key institutions that ensure the accountability of BARMM officials.

Click the download button to access the full paper.

---