The usual suspect: Corruption

There was not even any earthquake event when the Cabagan-Santa Maria bridge in Isabela collapsed and injured six motorists on the evening of Feb. 27. An alleged overloaded truck was identified as the culprit for causing the newly built suspension bridge to collapse. Incident report has it that a truck weighing 102 tons caused a portion of the bridge to collapse.

Based on the subsequent investigation, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) attributed the collapse to the supposed “under design” of the suspension bridge. But this was before he personally inspected the bridge along with Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan last March 6.

Known as the no-talk, no-mistake DPWH secretary, he apparently succeeded in convincing PBBM that the contractor could not be faulted. After all, the contractor merely followed the original plan. But DPWH found out that specifications became flawed to conform to the lower budget allocated for the project. “Who’s responsible is basically who made the design. Look what happened,” PBBM rhetorically asked and replied to his own question.

Albert Cañete, the chief engineer of the firm behind the design of the collapsed bridge, urged statements should be based on the results of a “forensic engineering investigation.” Offhand, he insisted the design complied with the specifications set by the DPWH. As designed, it can withstand up to 54 tons, or the equivalent of two trucks weighing 27 tons each.

Given the reputation of the DPWH as among the most-graft prone government agencies, we cannot help but see the bridge collapse as the consequence of whatever corruption went into that project through the years of its construction.

We cannot really blame contractors because they are also victims of corruption in government. In his homily about “Transfiguration” on the second Sunday of Lent, our parish priest shared what he described as “Marites” or slang for loose talks. He told us about having listened to a self-confession of an un-named government official. “As they say, straight from the horse’s mouth,” our priest quipped.

Paraphrasing him, it was about how contractors include in their costing an item called “for the boys” in any government projects. As an example, our priest quoted the government official: for a project worth P100 million, contractors set aside P25 million, or about 25 percent of the total cost of any government funded project.

On the other hand, we also have heard complaints of contractors from Southern Philippines of alleged harassment and intimidation by an official from the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Eastern Mindanao (OPAMinE). The official allegedly has been asking for advances and in return, the contractors are guaranteed to be awarded multimillion pesos worth of government infrastructure projects. This errant official would always claim: “Utos lang ito ng mga Boss.” But he never delivers.

And the same official reportedly pins the blame to Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Anton Lagdameo and PBBM. Since he got appointed in 2023, this official has purportedly been using his Mindanaoan roots and position to entice contractors and businessmen to invest in his narrative even without authority from DPWH and SAP Lagdameo.

He also allegedly goes to Malacañang to get information about possible judiciary appointments in Mindanao. Once he gets a copy of the shortlist of nominees, he will meet these personalities and guarantee they will get the desired court assignment if they cough up grease money. The sad part is his audacity to carry out his corruption the name of the President and SAP Lagdameo.

With his mighty position in Mindanao, he may have amassed already so much personal wealth from peddling non-existent projects and court appointments. A lifestyle check and an investigation into his dubious and deceitful activities should end such pests in public service.

In a radio interview earlier, Ombudsman Samuel Martires was quoted as pointing to the National Food Authority (NFA) as the most corrupt government agency. The NFA is a government-run corporation under the Department of Agriculture (DA). In particular, Martires noted with dismay the ombudsman investigators found out why the NFA is seemingly weak in its mandate of stabilizing the prices of rice and other basic food supplies in the markets amid multimillion-peso worth of imported rice and other agricultural products to meet the demand.

Martires subsequently clarified that his statement had been taken out of context in that radio interview. However, Martires was extensively quoted about the ombudsman’s observations. “When we investigated, we found corruption,” the ombudsman declared without equivocation.

“We asked why this is happening, they said it was because the agricultural inspectors say: ‘It’s OK.’ And all Customs has to do is collect the tax,” Martires said in that radio interview.

The Bureau of Customs is another story of corruption. As a young reporter then, Customs, along with the Bureau of Internal Revenue – both under the Department of Finance – were notoriously tagged among the most corrupt government agencies. And definitely, the same sentiments prevail up to the present.

No less than the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights attested to this on its “Concluding Observations” on the Philippines’ implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and efforts to fight corruption rendered on Feb. 18 in Geneva, Switzerland. In its report on the Philippines, it stated: “…the Committee remains concerned that corruption remains pervasive in all branches of government, and in the wider public sector.”

The same UN body also expressed its concern about reports on anti-corruption bodies, such as the Office of the Ombudsman and the Commission on Audit. COA lacks sufficient financial and technical resources to effectively investigate all reported government transactions tainted with graft and corruption.

Without benefit of investigation, the immediate reaction always leads us to suspect corruption as the culprit.

Have we become so jaded to so much corruption in our government agencies? Thus, it is not surprising to blame everything that goes bad as largely due to corruption.