MANILA - Businessmen warned against any hint of graft and corruption in a reconstruction body's work of raising funds and rebuilding damages caused by typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng.

Representatives of major business groups in the country—Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) and the Makati Business Club (MBC)—stressed the importance of transparency and efficiency, and the consequence of the lack of them.

MBC Executive Director Alberto Lim highlighted how the reconstruction body’s work may be hampered by politicians who are scouring for funds as the May 2010 elections draw nearer.

"We are entering into the season of elections. Even the year-long state of calamity is already raising questions of abuse, and could be holding back donors right now," Lim told ABS-CBN News.

This was a sentiment echoed by Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) President Eduardo Lacson. He stressed that the commission has to exercise proper checks and balances to ensure the transparency of collections and disbursements.

"They have to be objective or the entire commission will collapse, donors will slowdown or even contract at any sign of irregularities," he told ABS-CBN News.

President Arroyo recently formed the Special National Public-Private Reconstruction Commission to act as the "clearing house" for all international assistance coming in for the victims of the back-to-back typhoons.

The typhoons directly damaged billions of pesos worth of infrastructure and agricultural crops, and disrupted flow of goods and people when they hit Luzon island in succession.

The government is mulling to issue a P50 billion bond with 5- to 10-year maturities to help fund reconstruction work.

Public-private effort

Lim found the composition of the commission "unusual."

"Trabaho yun ng government eh (Reconstruction is the job of the government). It's very unusual that they would have to recruit representatives from the church and private sector,” he said.

Press secretary Cerge Remonde said that President Arroyo wanted to highlight that post-disaster rehabilitation is not just a responsibility of government but of the private sector as well,

The reconstruction body is composed of representatives from the public and private groups. It is led by Manuel Pangilinan, the chairman of diversified conglomerates Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company and Metro Pacific Investments.

Finance Secretary Margarito Teves and Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Vidal serves as co-chairs. The other commission members come from various government agencies, including the Department of Public Works and Highways, business groups and other non-government organizations.

But both Lim and Lacson expressed confidence that Pangilinan's leadership would ensure that transparency and other best practices from the private sector, such as objectivity and efficiency, would guide the commission’s work.

"We're very happy that Manny Pangilinan readily accepted the task. He is free to constitute an organization to monitor the disbursement of the funds. Transparency and control are the hallmarks of the private sector," Lacson said.

“I hope Pangilinan will be successful here," Lim shared.

Credibility

Lacson noted that the presence of Cardinal Vidal on the roster will also help give the commission credibility for donors.

"Cardinal Vidal would not enter into a group that would tarnish his good reputation," the PCCI chief said.

Both business group leaders highlighted that the PCCI and MBC are both open to share inputs on programs to prioritize for reconstruction.

Among the priorities they mentioned were the investigation of the state of preparedness of the country, mitigation measures, and the immediate assistance to the agricultural and small and medium enterprise (SME) sectors affected by the calamities.

"That's why the commission is necessary. [It would] to jumpstart businesses, help them operate as soon as possible," Lacson stressed.

At the mid-year economic briefing Wednesday, Finance Secretary Margarito Teves, a member of the commission, says the group has yet to meet on the procedures and systems the commission will put in place.