128 Chasing the Wind: Assessing Philippine Democracy filed a bill requiring the Department of Budget and Management to report to the House Committee on Appropriations its execution of the General Appropriations Act. It is not accidental that Representative Tañada is also a principal author of the Freedom of Information bill. This access to information could prevent the diversion of scarce funds for unintended purposes like the case of the Fertilizer Scam scandal. This would also enable Congress to monitor the personnel services of all departments and prevent “conversions” practiced in the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Finally, the Judicial Executive Legislative Advisory and Consultative Council (JELACC) should also be strengthened. This council was formed through a Memorandum of Agreement on May 13, 2008. The need for this council was first proposed in 2007 by Senator Francis Pangilinan in order to address the problem of summary executions and disappearances of political activists. But what was established in 2008 was an advisory and consultative council which aims to “institutionalize consultation, cooperation, and coordination in pursuit of the rule of law and advancement of our nation” (JELACC). The Council also aims to “identify issues pertaining to the primacy of the rule of law and formulate and undertake solutions to strengthen due process and the institutions of justice, and implement our laws better” (JELACC). The Council can focus on how their collaboration could strengthen the transparency and controllability aspects of accountability as crucial first steps in establishing a more effective punitive accountability. The Council can also address the issue of the fiscal autonomy of the Supreme Court, and work out rules regarding custody of the filing fees and other related issues. In fact a recent Memorandum of Agreement implemented the salary increases for the judiciary. The fiscal autonomy of the Supreme Court would help insure its independence in interpreting the Constitution, executive orders and statutes. The long-term approach to strengthen horizontal accountability should be a partnership between the government and civil society, a public-private partnership (See Holmes 2011). This partnership should concentrate in institutionalizing transparency, controllability and answerability. While there are existing civil society groups that are engaging the government in areas of transparency to prevent corruption, and participation in policy-making, these groups have not marshaled the support of the so-called silent majority. Leaders of civil society, political parties, religious organizations and private individuals should be more resolute in their efforts to expand the membership and support for civil society groups. Beyond the broader and deeper participation of civil society, there is a more pressing task of organizing and mobilizing the public or government