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Transparent and Accountable Governance (TAG) Project
The USAID-assisted Transparent and Accountable Governance (TAG) Project seeks to build civil society and private sector constituencies for a counter-Corruption reform agenda aimed at economic growth and poverty reduction. The TAG's mission is to promote transparency and accountability in government and to build consensus on a concrete agenda for counter-Corruption reform through an integrated approach involving public opinion survey research, investigative reports, case studies, and discussions to engage the public on anti-Corruption.
The project is deepening the engagement of the private sector and civil society in countering Corruption, with new attention to Corruption and governance at the local level through a comprehensive focus on transparency and good governance in Mindanao. The TAG Project is being implemented under a grant to The Asia Foundation.
Building on the success of TAG and the dramatically improved overall political environment for counter Corruption, the project will:
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maintain broad civil society and private sector engagement for transparency and accountability at
the national level, particularly with the reform agenda for the Bureau of Internal Revenue and reforms
in particularly with the reform agenda for the Bureau of Internal Revenue and reforms in procurement;
extend these efforts to the city level by building on the successful business-civil society partnership approach of TAG and commitment to counter Corruption reform now apparent at the local level; and
broaden opportunities for peace and economic development in Mindanao through improved local governance, especially in the Autonomous Region in Moslem Mindanao and its neighboring provinces.
The new administration, which is highly committed to good governance, presents a timely opportunity move forward with concrete counter Corruption reform at the national and local levels. Work under TAG has developed a close private sector-civil society working partnership, and has established the basis for promoting reform of government institutions and processes based on detailed understanding of where and how Corruption occurs in key agencies.
Working closely with reformers in government, with the League of Cities chairing the Project Steering Committee, there are opportunities for developing more specific agenda for reform. Based on the current work under TAG, it is possible to move immediately to this next step at the national level and to make significant progress toward such agenda tailored to local circumstances at the city level. A complementary focus on transparency and good governance at the local level in Mindanao will establish a solid basis for needed growth and poverty reduction in the Southern Philippines.