As the controversy-riddled rule of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo winds down, corruption in sensitive and revenue generating agencies of government is the badge of dishonour.
As Dr. Mahar Mangahas of the Social Weather station reports:
The annual proportion of managers seeing “a lot” of corruption in the public sector has been steady at two-thirds since 2005. Almost all of them see it happening in the national level; progressively fewer see it at the provincial, city and barangay levels. The median reported provision for bribery in a government contract continues to be 20 percent.
The annual proportion seeing “a lot” of corruption in the private sector, also flat since 2005, has been at one-fourth. The median reported provision for bribery in a private contract continues to be 10 percent.
The proportion of managers whose companies were solicited for a bribe by someone in government in the past year was 61 percent—below the 2008 peak of 70 percent, but still the second highest rate since 2005.
On the other hand, half of the managers say there has been improvement in the transparency of the process of bidding for a government contract.
Managers’ assessments of government sincerity in fighting corruption depend on the agency the survey asks about; here I list the agencies from highest to lowest. The Supreme Court, Social Security System, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Health and city governments have kept their grades of “good” (defined by SWS as Net Sincerity of +30 to +49). Trial courts and the Armed Forces of the Philippines have risen to “moderate” (+10 to +29) in 2009 from “neutral” (-9 to +9) in 2008.
Agencies graded “neutral” in 2009 are the Sandiganbayan, Commission on Audit (down from “moderate” in 2008), Department of Education, Senate, Department of Finance (“moderate” in 2008), Department of Justice (up from “poor,” or within -10 to -29, in 2007-2008), Commission on Elections (up from “poor” in 2008 and from “bad,” or within -30 to -49, in 2007), and the Ombudsman.
Agencies graded “poor” in 2009 are the Department of Budget and Management (down from “neutral”), Philippine National Police, Department of Agriculture, Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the Presidential Commission on Good Government (up from “bad” in 2008).
Agencies graded “bad” in 2009 are the Department of Transportation and Communications (formerly “poor”), Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (“poor” in 2008, “neutral” in 2007), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (formerly “poor”), House of Representatives, Office of the President (“poor” in 2008, “neutral” in 2007), and Land Transportation Office.
The agencies graded “very bad” (-50 or worse) in 2009 are, as in earlier years, the Bureau of Internal Revenue, Department of Public Works and Highways, and Bureau of Customs.
Charts 3 and 4 of the SWS study note a decline is the bribe-taking experienced by businesses but a close reading of the chart by even a layman reveals the pervasiveness of corruptions.
While corruption is certainly not the personal preserve of the Arroyo regime, the fact that she has been unable to significantly mitigate it speaks volumes about her nearly decade long hold on power.
And the lady, through her congressional lackeys, even wants to be installed as s Speaker.
The gall!!!
Popularity: 1% [?]
In 2002, a forum of workforce activists from Asean countries together agreed to push for disclosure of inside information and breakdown of details on loans obtained from international financial institutions.
These players also said with one unique representation that most of the development conspiracies backed by those loans missed to benefit the public. The players were from countries seeking loans from the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Among the players was Philippines. Concerned Filipinos said the public was consistently kept in the dark about the requirements of the loans sought from these institutions- a legitimate concern included those debts incurred ever since Marcos. The Philippines made convincing moral arguments to repeal its foreign debts. But, it also had an indisputable legal case considering that the mind-boggling greater part of those debts were odious in law. The disagreement resulted to the formation of procedures for transparency at International level. Transparency International began moving to include the South and published every detail of corruption occurring at departmental and executive level of governments.Similarly, the Philippines created many anti-corruption laws and again none came from Senator Aquino.
Until now, many Filipinos would rather commemorate EDSA, hoping that another Aquino back up by monopolistic elites who also paid bribes to influence policy-making , can command to implement the rule of law. Integrity is not ignorant and Competency is not conditional.
I think one tragic reality, leytenian, is that at the blueprint stage for projects funded by development loans through to project start up Filipinos do well.
But after the maiden positive burst there is failure to fallow through and along the way ‘corruption dynamics’ creep in until they subvert the project.
Ningas cogon, mahusay lang sa simula at pakitang tao. :(
We also don’t really have a shortage of well intentioned laws.
But we are short of honest officials passionately committed to do what is right, and just.
Ding,
Ding,
I agree it is extraordinarily damaging when the top people of the land to go illicit on the people. But it is not just Ms. Arroyo. One can see a whole string of top people who have merely done what Filipinos appear to do normally, bend the rules for personal gain.
I have been noodling mightily of late to understand this dynamic of a whole people who go for under-the-table fees or cheating to get ahead, and have concluded that it would not be so bad if individual initiative were not stifled by authoritarian rule and the hiring of friends, family and favorites to important positions.
Man has a natural drive to get ahead. And if the honest ways are blocked, then he will turn to illicit ways to get ahead, where ahead is measured by money or things in our society. Certainly, it is not measured in honor.
Joe
Joe,
I’ve had the good fortune (I think) of working in government.
You can believe me when I say that on balance, there are certainly more upright people than there are crooked individuals in the public sector.
But ‘aiding and abetting’ corruption is a function of leadership of the kind that does not inspire integrity.
Tha GMA consistently says she herself is not corrupt does not make it true.
Her handling of the NBN-ZTE scam along with other deals infused with ‘immoderate greed’ is embleatic of her pr4esidency.
There is no such thing as ‘slight corruption’.
Corruption is corruption is corruption.
No in-betweens.
Ding,
I am sure, but in my short history, I’d say an amazing number of local government officials will not budge without incentive. I’ve dealt with an LTO official, a tax collector, a civil registrar, a mayor, a judge . . . favors and soft graft, gifts or whatever you want to call them, it is payment outside legitimate channels. Without payment, you get lots of headaches, indeed . . .
Joe
I know that story, Joe.
A common joke hereabouts is one way to limit corruption is to outlaw office desk drawers.
JoeAm: The message parents-to-children is not “..don’t let the stupidity get in the way, focus, stay clean, work hard, you’ll get ahead.” The mantra in Pilipinas is… ” if it’s okay for them to do it, then it’s okay for me to do it, too! If they can do it, then you can do it, too.”
Unfortunately, “it” is “..be on the take”.
What the grandparents have passed on to their younger generation, today’s parents pass on to the youth.
JoeAm: Have you heard the latest about New York State Governor Paterson? He will not run for re-elections. The polls show extreme voter dissatisfaction, especially after New York Times story that ran earlier this week alleging that the governor had intervened in an assault case involving a top aide.
Pilipinas has reached the same level of voter sophistication. The voters do not put up with junk from its politicians. Evidence: GMA is not running for Malacanang 2010 re-election in light of extreme dissatisfaction from Le Cirque.
Upnn
US sophistication is on a downward track, Philippine sophistication is heading up. But they have not crossed the same threshold line yet. Your reading of GMA is completely wrong, I think. As is your surmisal that voters in the Philippines do not put up with junk.
Joe
Ding,
during my holiday at my grandparent’s home in Leyte and now my mother’s temporary provincial address, it was not difficult for me to uncover corruption at the local level. On one early morning run , I couldn’t avoid the road where the municipal office was located. I saw a big billboard coloured with a multimillion pesos water reservoir project. At first, I was very impressed by its visual transparency. One night on a full moon, barangay kapitans and town councilor friends came to visit the house. Of course, I offered them cases of san mig light and few gallons of tuba to make sure they get drunk to tell me the truth. lol. While they were under the influence of alcohol, I purposely asked them these questions.
1.What is the name of the bank financing the project?
2. How are funds disbursed in terms of when , where and who?
3. Who is the contractor of the project and why they were chosen?
4. Are the local people employed by this project?
There were more questions which made everybody so drunk that they unanimously answered that the project was still pending because the bank has not released the funds. ahah !! that bank…
I was sober and I did sense that my friends needed more education, awareness and training on local project management. I didn’t express it in front of them instead I imagined an urgency to guide them but then I realized I needed my relaxation and recuperation more than anything else.
Perhaps, a better bottom-up approach of eliminating corruption is to obligate the civil service commission to implement rules and regulations to guide public employees. These SOFT rules can be a form of short seminars ( live classroom or 8 hours video) about how projects are financed and who is paying for it. Failure to maintain the required hours is a ground for penalty- like a continuing ED every two years.
To empower the people, education is key.
Amen.
One other hurdle is how the civil service is treated as one giant employment hub for political allies and jobless political volunters for the newly elected regardless of their fitness for the job.
Ding,
then we need to demand and make the civil service commission accountable. no ifs or buts. it’s not really thatr expensive to impement these rules because the whole country is already equipped with municipal offices to conduct the seminars. With technology and internet connection coming soon to the remote areas, educating public employees may not be that difficult. Who is in charge of the Civil service commission? let’s attack !!! it’s time for a new revolution. lol
Damaging to the soul if one always expects three of four government employees to be on the take or that six out of seven store owners to be shortchanging you.
Forget the call to that revolution, leytenian. Pinoys-in-Pinas have already said that battle is lost.
We will never remove corruption. This is the curse of the Filipinos.
No big fishes have ever been caught and gone to jail. Erap Estrada
went to jail. But, was pardoned. Now he is running again for President.
We love our Crooks!
Corruption is not confined to filipinos. It is within every part of societies all over the world. Their will always be one bad egg or a couple in a basket of society. But this does not mean all are into it. It is also another thing to remove the rotten in that pile. It is far easier to complain and talk about it. But to actually ACT ON IT… is another matter. If you do a Rizal in our times you have to contend with the fact that it will not only be like in Luneta that these rotten eggs will do to convince you to silence.
Well between a crook like Erap as you said and Gloria, which one do you think the filipinos believe is the most corrupt?
If Erap was pinned down as Jose Velarde ….how about Jose Pidal of the Arroyo’s?
When Erap decided to take all the camps of the MILF he did it without a fuzz of outside intervention. We are a SOVEREIGN nation.
But it is sad to see after the effort of our military Arroyo on her term GAVE BACK the CAMPS to the MILF… for the sake of PEACE??? Why would we ALLOW ARMED GROUPS to flourish?
And seek outside intervention on internal matters?
So look at what happened in Iligan. The MILF rebels ran amuck without thought of killing innocent civilians. And we hear DEMANDs from government to turn over the perpetrators but obviously the MILF refuses to heed the demand. Why is that not surprising.
Erap may be poor in choosing friends and allies but with all due respect he brought good amount of PEACE when he took those camps. He showed many that it can be done. That the AUTHORITY of a SOVEREIGN NATION should never be compromised against people in arms who have no respect for civilian lives.
Allowing armed groups in our land will always put the unarmed civilians in harms way. Why talk peace to groups who we all know will never give up their arms. It is already known that they just BURY them somewhere near.
The MNLF were given their autonomous region. They were given taxpayers money to help in developing their lands. But instead the Misuari incident showed us they bought additional arms rather than use it for the development of their region.
After Misuari we have the Ampatuans. Same banana. Where do you think they got the money to buy those arms?
It is without a doubt that GMA made great achievements in her term but its brilliance is tainted with a lot of glaring and obvious flaws which could have been avoided.
We can only hope that the next person to lead our country would not compromise the sovereignty of our nation. We should not allow armed groups to reign. It is where greed feeds thru corruption.
Corruption is mostly rooted on greed but some are also rooted on (basic) needs. But it is really unfortunate that GREED may eventually take hold of that need. Unless the moral fiber of that person is STRONG enough not to heed the evil calling of GREED.