Business executives: Leadership is vital to business integrity

If corruption is to be eliminated in the private sector, executives need to take charge in espousing business integrity and accountability, business executives said Wednesday. During the 1st Integrity Summit organized by the private sector, business leaders shared the best practices they employ in their respective firms to uphold ethical conduct within their organization. “The top executives of GMA Network took the initiative to implement [ethical practices] within the company," shared Mike Enriquez, senior vice-president for radio of GMA Network Inc., in his speech. Enriquez said that the company's board strongly advocates accountability, transparency and integrity, from which the News and Public Affairs division of the network modeled its public service thrust. Accountability, transparency “Our CEO Atty. Felipe Gozon is not treated as an emperor or a king. He is accountable to the board. And we are obligated by our bosses to walk the talk," Enriquez added. As part of its desire to promote integrity within the network, the company was the first TV network to create and publish its own ethics manual, place suggestion boxes all over the facility, regularly update its shareholders on its financial performance, and create a programming committee which constantly evaluates program proposals, Enriquez said. The veteran newsman said that efforts to promote and practice integrity have paid dividends for the company, especially in terms of increasing its bottom line. “The more people believe [in] us, the more they perceive us to have integrity, the more they watch our programs," he said The challenge, Enriquez added, is to promote the same level of integrity across the business sector. “Trustworthiness is the essence of a good broadcast entity, but it is also the essence of good business," he said. “Having a universally accepted standard [on integrity] is a must for the business community." Integrity promotion through IT For business process outsourcing (BPO) firm Convergys Philippines, ensuring transparency in its business processes helped the company take integrity to heart. Aldrin Dulig, senior director for Convergys Philippines, said the implementation of various IT systems in their company has helped create a culture of integrity. “In our second year in the Philippines, we bought our standalone accounting system. It automated our processes, and now our purchase order system is automated," Dulig shared. The Convergys executive said having a centralized system for their processes — especially in the financial and accounting aspects of the business — was necessary to “establish norms" that go in line with the values of the company. For another BPO firm, hiring the right people is its ticket to business integrity. “We ensure that our employees are properly screened before hiring them. They have to go through background checks," said Trevor Friesen, general manager for Sitel Philippines, Australia and New Zealand. Friesen said the company is aware that corruption has a high potential to occur with employees whose values do not jive with the company. “It's no secret that there is a potential for kickbacks and corruption inside the company. The procurement division, for example, is the most risk-prone part of the business, because they deal with the service contracts with outside vendors," he explained. As a commitment to implementing the virtues of the Integrity Pledge which the summit underscored, Friesen said they will take bold steps specifically in hiring the right people. “From now on, whenever we make a job offer to a management position, they must sign the integrity pledge," he said. Private sector Integrity Pledge The Integrity Summit is an effort by the Makati Business Club and the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, which seeks to stamp out corruption, not only in government but in the private sector as well, in line with President Benigno Aquino III's thrust toward eliminating corruption in government. Currently, about 700 companies from across all industries have signed the Integrity Pledge, along with 13 Cabinet secretaries which include Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and Transportation Secretary Manuel Roxas II, among others. During Wednesday’s summit, conveners of Integrity Initiative presented Aquino with the Unified Code of Conduct for companies which describes how corporate executives down to rank-and-file employees should uphold the highest standards of ethics in all their transactions. — BC/VS, GMA News