Time to reflect and change – Philippines

With the corruption events of the last month, I find myself very frustrated not being able to assist to clarify and define why the Philippines way of governing, business practices and way of life is so influenced by corruption. I deliberated in writing this document because I first have to convince myself that I can honestly compile and surmise all my thoughts without any biased towards anything and anyone. It is my personal evolution that enables me to have this opinion. Even though I was born there, I grew up in Australia where a government infrastructure exist and working. It is not perfect, but it is functional. That is why, in developing an ideal need for infrastructure, external influence is needed in its development and cannot be expected to be efficiently developed by existing resources in the Philippines. At least initially, construction can be designed and implemented without corruption in mind but will allow in avoiding corruption. The main objective is the complete structure for efficient and accountable governing. We have now all the tools and resources and can easily acquire expertise world wide for any structural needs.

I was totally away from the Philippines for 37 years and saddened to know its condition now. I observed the communities, business behaviors and governing in the last 3 years, after coming back periodically, and is the means of my passion to comment. I do care. I am sharing my own evolution as a developed Filipino that learned the proper ways and is detrimental to who I am today.

Corruption

Corruption is now embedded in the Philippine culture. It would be quite naïve to even focus on specific corruption as nearly every way of existence there involved some corruption. Firstly, we must accept this, to be able to prepare in finding ways of fixing most of this problem.

Since the 2nd World war, the Philippines became a republic and followed the democratic influence from the United States. This includes governing and judicial system. In a western society, decisions are made based on credibility of demand and the environment it is subjected to. They then have the governing infrastructure to abide and audit all the activities to avoid corrupted activities.

As a developing nation, the Philippines gained its confidence from the Americans in their government structure and private business approaches. However, the influence of Spanish rule for so many centuries with their Malay background, very emotional and sensitive communities developed. Add with this the democratic new way of governing, influenced in some, the short cutting progress and processes. Influential actions and decisions were taken or adapted not because it is good for the people but it is similar to the ways of the United States. The pretence of getting rich became a central goal. As years passes by, Filipinos developed to what we have today and is easily influenced by money and material possessions. Contentment in life is a rarity. As corruption crept in, so did the segregation in the justice and governing system. It is a disgrace when corruption can be judged by your nation's individual status, and instead of jail, you can have an option of house arrest. Furthermore, you will be pardoned if you do the right things. I found it quite entertaining. Even the poor people do have options depending on who they know or what they know. Compare this with South American countries under Spanish rule, the same corrupt ways exist. But the Philippines do not have revolutions because of the nice hospitable characteristics people have. The people can easily be contented by their day to day way of life where an opportunity or dreams, whether how small it is, can give the people contentment. When society becomes like this, the lack of trust from the President, to the Congress, public service and the people, it is quite easy to deviate in fixing the total problem as it is viewed too hard.

There is a need to understand the evolution of the Philippines system to define and accept the responsibility in governing a nation. The people govern it, the people are the government and what action the government does is for the people and not for the benefit of individuals or their influences.

There is also the need to be bold in reviewing governing activities as all transactions and activities needs to be transparent and accountable. Responsible professional decision making and defined operating procedures are needed for proper government to operate to establish accountability and trust. Without this, there is no organization to control the step by step regulatory expectation with any government activities.

Politicians normally should only focus in the legislation of government expenditure or activities. The implementation of such legislation is expected from the infrastructure of the public service which includes separate auditing activities, normally from the Attorney Generals office function. This will ensure full transparency and accountability. This will also encompass the judicial system to separate any decision and function away from politics. These crimes are determined, judged and applied. The Politician can also audit the application of the legislation of expenditure and raise in congress any irregularities. They do not however have any direct influence and authority in the interfering in the implementation of that expenditure. This is normally the basic relationship in governing between the Congress and the public service.

In the current events happening there, if this judicial discipline is applied, the senate can not interfere with the judicial process until a judgment occurs. The judicial system can directly charge people whether it is the president, senator, police, general, professionals, jobless, maids, or even priests.

This however is not happening in the Philippines. We are now in the 21st Century. We all know that activities both public and private organization can be corrupt. Priority is now needed towards an effective infrastructure that will dissuade these habitual government activities. The problem is having the right group of people that can have the courage, patience and experience that can tackle such development and applied implementation. It is achievable and that is the problem in the Philippines. There is no determination, maybe knowledge and confidence in fixing this infrastructure problem.

It must be noted that with corruption, there is no arguing that it is a crime. There is no justification for it. As the government is involved with corrupted activities, other criminals are given the confidence in administering their crime. It is reflective in decision making process when deciding doing good or doing bad. Saying yes in doing a crime is decided based on measuring repercussion of that decision and what the risk of evading getting caught.  As in democracy, it is highly promoted that the government is of the people, for the people and by the people. In corruption, it affects the people accordingly.

As an example, as the government is viewed corrupt, a murderer evolving from lack of moral education will make decisions based on the effects to his current life style. If going ahead with his decision benefits him, normally the justice system provides the infrastructure in mentally dissuading a criminal's decision to proceed via criminal sentencing. But how can that mental influence occur when a government heading the justice system is viewed corrupt. The criminal immediately may think if they can do it, so can I.

With all the hype there now, there are so much talking and no action. All the corrupted people benefit from this because the community is not united and it seems that it was intentionally directed to evolve like this to ensure unity can not occur. Life there is subjected to too much life and governing helpless principles, where attention to feeling, wanting and solving problems are not ever attended to properly.

Wake Up

This is now the 21st century (2008). We have so much education, knowledge and experience to concentrate, with determination, in developing what is best to govern the Philippines. The motivation factor in this new governing ways is a phrase statement, "Commit the Crime and serve the jail term." Whether you are the president, the richest man there or the poorest, if convicted, the judicial system must apply the sentence with no pardon or with no option of house arrest. It is within this judicial process that conviction can be properly reviewed.

Forget the current governing system and develop an Infrastructure that suits the lives and existence of people and business practices. This then guarantees that economic opportunities are stable and provide the source of needs in providing assistance, guidance and help to the people of the Philippines. Any fraud and corrupted activities means jail, not negotiable.

Corruption is a behavior that exists because the infrastructure allows it to.

Infrastructure

It is easy to visualize the proper governing infrastructure of the Philippines. That is because my background, discipline and ideas are not influenced by the way of life there. I can focus purely in fixing the problem with an understanding of the ideal management and governing approaches that is necessary in applying progressive changes.

Right now, with the various demands for the president to resign, it is not clear who have the authority to suspend the president while proper judicial investigation and judgment can occur efficiently. This is an example of infrastructure problem. If the judicial system operates independently, focus and influence regarding crimes cannot be influence other than the court of law. The congress has no say in this matter other than to approve new and changes to the laws of the land. The same court of law will also apply to all judicial members that are corrupt or intends to do any corrupt activities. There will be no prejudice in applying jail term.

The Departments, (Finance, Business-Trade and Economy, Attorney General – Judicial System, Human Services - Health, Education, Foreign Affairs and Migration, Public Works and Transport, Defense, Animal and Agriculture), can all be structured like any normal private business with measurement for efficiencies and accountabilities as their main operating guidelines. This can be outlined with proper policies and procedures. Employment must be based on credible Human Resources body within each department. Required skills can be audited to ensure their functionality is justified. Auditing function is part of the judicial function that cannot be influenced by each department.

With the Congress, as they are representative of the people for each defined region, the party system will enable a specific voted group to have governing power. The head of the governing party automatically becomes the President. If the President is seen ineffective, the party members in congress can oust him or her role mid term especially if breaking the judicial laws (not negotiable as if found guilty will be jailed).

There need to be only one legislature body for efficient management of legislation. This ensures that the people are truly represented. During election, as part of the judicial process, any killings of candidate will automatically put the region under a governing commissioner till the following election. This commissioner will vote as independent in congress. The region where any trouble occurs will be suspended from the election until it is seen to be stable or matured enough to hold control of that region.

This is just a brief summation of my contribution to the problem in the Philippines. As you can see it follows a simplistic governing way that will influence simplified life style and existence there. Furthermore, if the Philippines have the courage of developing a new democratic governing system, it will get the needed respect it deserves internationally and influence the country's economic growth. This growth with proper governing represents an improvement of life standard in the Philippines.