Lifestyle Check Before ‘Conscience Commission’

Cebu City Councilor James Cuenco challenged all city elected and appointed officials to submit themselves to a lifestyle check.

“Let it start within us, by cleansing our own surroundings of any vestiges of doubt. I would like to invite all of us to allow ourselves to undergo a lifestyle check to be undertaken by an independent Conscience Commission,” Cuenco said when he delivered a privilege speech during the City Council session yesterday.

Cuenco, son of former Cebu City South District congressmen Antonio Cuenco, said he felt ashamed at the time the Philippines was called a “Country of Thieves” and even President Aquino himself had criticized corrupt government employees.

He said every time he reads reports about scandalous and corrupt practices of officials from the various government agencies such as the pork barrel of congressmen and senators, he cannot stop his head from shaking.

“It behooves us to take action against all these criticisms and bad publicity. I call upon each and every one of us to re-examine our own conscience and swear once more that we will resist any and all temptations of corruptions,” Cuenco added.

According to Cuenco, he will soon sponsor a resolution seeking the creation of a Conscience Commission to be composed of respectable private and government officials to conduct the honest-to-goodness lifestyle check.

He suggested that the city should invite former Assistant Ombudsman Virginia Palanca-Santiago, retired Court of Appeals (CA) presiding justice Portia Aliño-Hormachuelos, CA Justice Gabriel Ingles and Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Meinrado Paredes.

Cuenco said the lifestyle check will not be limited only to the elected officials but also appointed officials like the department and assistant department heads and other City Hall officials, particularly those who are assigned to “juicy positions.”

“Nakadungog na man ta kaniadto pa nga adunay mga pangwarta sa pipila ka opisyal dinhi sa City Hall apan dili lang ta mohisgut og ngalan,” said Cuenco, a neophyte south district councilor.

Mayor Michael Rama said he supports the move to subject the city officials to a lifestyle check. According to Rama, his lifestyle is very simple and he never committed graft and corruption during his 21 years in public service.