A program of the Department of Finance (DOF) that identifies and stamps out erring officials from the agency is set to be equipped with a new case management system to augment its aggressive campaign against corruption.
The new IT system for the DOF?s Revenue Integrity Protection Service (RIPS) will be funded through a grant from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).
The improvements are part of a wider MCC project called the Revenue Administration Reform Project, a five-year grant which started in May 2011 and will end in May 2016.
The MCC funding for RIPS amounts to $4 million, while the case management system will cost $1.3 million. The development of the system began last month and is expected to go online by mid-2015.
At the kick-off event held on Nov. 26 DOF undersecretary for revenue operations and legal affairs group Carlo Carag said applying technology and innovation in the public sector will significantly boost the drive against corruption in the agency.
As of November 24, a total of 428 personalities have been investigated by RIPS, a staggering 351 of which happened in the four years since President Aquino took office. Of these, a total of 232 were charged, and 45 cases have achieved successful resolutions.
The new case management system is expected to ease case tracking and monitoring, secure documentary evidence safely, shorten the period of time for net worth analyses, increase sources of leads, and significantly reduce information leakages.
It will also feature an automated investigation tool with a ?red flag system? that will help prioritize and generate leads by processing information in the RIPS database.
With the Aquino administration drawing to a close in less than two years, Carag said the DOF said it is looking towards ensuring sustainability of reforms as a key priority.
?We expect RIPS to continue the long, hard work of eliminating corruption in government,? he said. — PIA
