Bantay salakay?
Last May 14, 2007 I read an article (PDI) that featured the “legislative wish list” or laws that business executives or CEO in the Philippines were hoping to see passed into law.
The executives cited the need to do an inventory of all laws that complicate and add to the difficulty of doing business in the
Others were specific about population management, foreign ownership of land, freedom of information, national tourism policy, establishment of more colleges and state universities, simplification of tax laws, professionalize police and military, and removal of presidential power to legislate by way of executive orders.
I kept the article with the idea of pursuing such suggestions once Congress finally buckles down to work. Unfortunately both houses of Congress have a different idea of work as well as priorities.
Even before the formal opening of Congress, our Misrepresentatives as well as several members of the Senate have exposed their true nature and character by indulging in the thievery of alliances, corruption of party loyalty, and prostitution of votes in exchange for committee memberships and Chairmanships.
Worse than common harlots some have even taken their squabbles to members of media through the cowardly cloak of text messaging as if they were not identified for their handiwork in the last elections.
Voters clearly signified their dissatisfaction and contempt for none performance or for being taken for granted by politicians during the last elections, yet the administration led house of representatives displayed their disregard and insensitivity by public horse trading and behavior that was so publicly loud and vulgar it put fish mongers to shame.
Compared to the civilized, eloquent legislators of the early days, save for a few much of what we now have is trash. Now that the dust has settled I am fearfully concerned that those who would be guardians in Congress will turn out to be the very thieves we fear.
Far from making a damning generalization, my concern stems from what some of my mentors have shared from their real experiences both in the upper and lower houses of Congress.
As of today, everyone has read or heard of the news that Congressman Iggy Arroyo will be the Chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources while Congressman Mikey Arroyo the son of President Arroyo has been given the Chairmanship of the Committee on Energy. Following this news of concern, we now hear that the President has given specific orders that matters concerning mining will be directly supervised by the Office of the President.
Why do people who are better qualified to chair the committee on banks and finance, or culture and the arts, or something related to movies insist on getting the Committee on Public works or even Education?
Let me share with you the quick lesson in history I received from a veteran of the halls of Congress.
If for instance YOU my dear reader won as congressman and got appointed to the Committee on National Defense in the past, you got P500 million a year for your Intelligence funds. It’s so intelligent it hides itself so no one can really figure out how intelligently you spent it or squandered it.
Congress also allows you to play Mahjong where you are allowed to draw Paningits or insertions to your budget to the tune of P200 million annually. This does not include the rest of the millions a corrupt Chairman could get from suppliers as well as aspiring and ambitious AFP officers wanting a promotion or a profitable assignment.
As most of you already heard, there are “rumors” (which many people actually reacted to which now makes them more than rumors) that people who had to go through the Commission on Appointments had to enhance their potentials by making offerings to the commission Idols!
One mentor tells me that not so long ago when he served in Congress, one member of the commission actually had a price card: the rank of Colonel costs P100 thousand. The rank of a one star General costs P500 thousand, and a two star General plus assignment to a profitable region or one necessary to comply with the service career path would cost between one million to five million pesos.
I am told that even the Committee on Banks has become a very rewarding position since there is allegedly an automatic appropriation for goodwill or retainer. For Public works, sources maintain the rate at 30% per project is cut up among the idols and misrepresentation.
Please don’t talk to me about full disclosure, public bidding on-line and transparency. Many bidding processes now-a-days are rigged like a basketball tournament with four teams all belonging to the same company or like they do at the Bureau of Customs where the same bidders always show up for the same kind of products.
When I asked a contact why he was so confident about getting a particular item, he pointed to the other bidders and told me they were all members of the “Mafia”.
Even at the Local government level I discovered that many elected officials have their own construction companies that “bid” for work in other towns and cities but never their own, I learned that some “Mag Kumpares and Kumares” among mayors simply exchange projects!
So now we are faced by the frightening prospects of another three years of suspicion, accusations, and investigations concerning qualifications, propriety and integrity. In the last Congress most of the fight was focused on the Blue Ribbon Committee that was chaired by Senator Joker Arroyo because in the eyes of the opposition he was a stone wall.
In the new Congress, it will be more than just stone walls, the potential flash points would be about Fuel importations, government subsidies for alternative fuels and plants, natural resources, logging, specially mining which will certainly stir up much social conflicts.
To entrust the most critical committees in Congress to unqualified individuals or to people whose probity are questioned would be folly. But the greater danger that many miss is that under these Committees lie socially sensitive matters as well as matters of national interest.
Somehow we have crossed the darkest times of our political journey by the grace of God. Should we now risk all because of the miscalculated ambition or misplaced responsibility on those who are not worthy?
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Senate President, Madame President; Wala na bang iba?
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