Two months ago, we asked what people felt should be the new government’s agenda. The problem of peace and order, corruption in government, the deteriorating productivity and competitiveness of local industries, and the country’s fiscal and debt problems were among those enumerated.
As any good chief executive should do, prioritization is in order. And after a lot of deep thinking, I do believe that corruption wins hands down as the country’s biggest problem. And I’m not referring only to the kind that goes on within government.
Corruption eclipses the life of all 82 million Filipinos. It permeates all facets of daily living so much so that "right" has become not always wrong, and "wrong" is now on a case-to-case basis. For example, while stealing money is still unacceptable, receiving stolen money is not always so.
Smuggling has expanded and grown unabated over these years because of corruption. Before, smugglers were happy just dealing with "blue seal" cigarettes. Now, smugglers cater to wide range of items, from cars, rice, oil and petroleum products, vegetables, etc. You name it, and the smugglers protected by influential personalities with strong links with corrupt government officials will deliver.
Gambling, drug-trafficking, kidnapping and other forms of organized crimes proliferate also because of corruption. Same with petty street crimes and the daily "kotong" or mulcting of jeepney, bus and truck drivers.
For sure, the 1.5 million-strong government machinery cannot plead innocence to charges of flagrant disregard of ethical business practice in government offices. It has become difficult to find someone who can say in all truthfulness that he is unblemished in the exchange of dirty monies, even if he says he had turned to look the other way.
These donations, or better still "corruption money," have become the entry passes of vested interests for gaining personal favor or legislative support for their various deals, nefarious or otherwise. The bigger the contribution, the more beholden the person or political entity is.
For decades, there has been so much talk urging politicians to openly declare and account for whatever money they receive. Ironically, in spite of having a vaunted free and fearless media, sources of funds to cover campaign expenditures are not being reported. Under an "envelopmental" environment, some media members would rather keep mum.
Without doubt, corruption in the election process has become a costly exercise that sadly mocks the essence of democracy. Being poor is the excuse used to sell one’s vote. But I would say vote-buying in various forms is rampant and effective because of the much-weakened moral fibre of our people.
No, the call for transparency is no longer workable. This has been gobbled up by the system itself. The very legislators that passed the laws are making the implementation of these noble-sounding edicts difficult by not providing the necessary funds to effectively enforce the law.
Already, the bureaucracy has initiated several measures to whittle down the opportunities that tempt civil servants – and the public they serve – to indulge in corrupt practices. Foremost here is the relatively successful installation of new procurement measures. A good start, but this is definitely not enough to make a substantial impact.
As the current electoral process comes to an end, lessons learned can be put to use to introduce some basic reforms for the 2007 polls. If existing electoral laws cannot be implemented effectively, let’s scrap and replace them.
For starters, it would perhaps be worthwhile considering the setting up of a common fund, either from government allocations or private contributors or both, that will finance the campaign of all those qualified and wishing to serve the Filipino people. This will radically alter the candidates’ relationship with political contributors.
The corruption of our politics today is a tough morality issue. The first step to meet the challenge facing us is to vote to office on May 10 those who can lead a moral uprising that will fight the corruption that is eating the whole country out of home and dignity.
Yes, corruption is the key problem, and the sooner we have leaders with the political will to eradicate it, the better for everyone and the country.
The energy sector has been in the limelight with the spate of oil price increases, the Meralco electricity rate hike and the looming power crisis in Southern Philippines. What is the government response to the series of oil products price hikes? Is there a possibility of a subsidy to ease the burden on the consuming public? What is the government doing to reduce the country’s dependence on imported crude oil? Watch it.
Should you wish to share any insights, write me at Link Edge, 4th Floor, 156 Valero Street, Salcedo Village, 1227 Makati City. Or e-mail me at reygamboa@linkedge.biz. If you wish to view the previous columns, you may visit my website at http://bizlinks.linkedge.biz.