THE PERVASIVE CORRUPTION that took place in the Department of Public Works and Highways on the multi-billion flood control projects, and those for roads and bridges, schoolbuildings, hospitals and others, is just an indication of the national government’s complacency (or outright disrespect for regulations) on bidding, regulation, procurement, farm to market roads and the implementation of various state-funded projects.
And to think that everything in the budget process begins and ends with the executive department– with the concurrence of both upper and lower chambers of Congress– until the budget is finally signed into law by the President. (Being the last eye to look into the proposed law and its amendments, the President thus has the biggest and final say on the General Appropriations Act– so the buck stops with him).
Most appalling is the slow response, if at all, of agencies like the Bangko Sentral, the National Bureau of Investigation, the Bureaus of Internal Revenue and Customs, the Commission on Audit and Ombudsman’s office, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Anti Money Laundering Council, the courts, bureaus and other regulatory bodies in preserving the integrity of government systems and in upholding the citizen’s right to genuine public service.
The continued disregard for the mandated SALNs (statement of assets, liabilities and networth), code of ethical standards and the continued shelving of revisions to the bank secrecy law to ensure that public servants operate aboveboard, have magnified the latitude for corruption. Add to this, the general apathy of the three branches of government that have all but emboldened graft and corruption and the conflict of interest to persist.
Officials and many state workers have imbibed (because of what the higher-ups do) the lack of delicadeza into their psyche. The continued repression of the freedom of information law (for accountability and transparency) has made it easier for sleazy operators– contractors, lawmakers and bureaucrats.
Ongoing probes are useless
The continuing investigations of the Blue Ribbon Committee are largely viewed as inutile by the citizenry these past weeks, as no senator or congressman has yet been probed– thanks to parliamentary courtesy– and neither would there be hope of even exposing their anomalies and scandals.
Yet, ordinary citizens like someone who steals food or some groceries, are readily hauled to jails and shamed– oftentimes denied of their rights to counsel and to express themselves. Always, the police version is what gets published but never their side of the story.
Double standard of justice is evident as those that resigned from their posts– a DPWH Undersecretary, the congressman (now fleeing from the law by staying abroad) who was among the masterminds of insertions in the 2025 budget and the contractors whose huge participations in anomalous transactions are being afforded legislative and state protection because they are rich and influential all point to the injustice the state gives to the hoi poloi or those who cannot buy their way out of jail.
With almost a month of BRC and the creation of a highly-secretive operation of the Independent Commission on Infrastructure have made people lose hope in the system and the snail pace of justice. People are demanding blood– and rightly so because their tax monies have been squandered to give a few filthy rich people the lifestyle that only the poor can dream of.
Imagine a BSP that just recently acknowledged the huge money flow into the banking system, that were obviously being laundered in casinos to erase a money trail, yet did not act on it soon? Too dense and useless, yet BSP officials and employees are the highest paid public servants.
Imagine a Securities and Exchange Commission that was not aware of so many shell companies rising, many of them starting with small capital and yet a few months or years later, revise their capitalization and dividend declarations to billions of pesos?
Worst is a Commission on Audit (which because it is undermanned) does not do pre and post audit of government projects (from bidding, procurement and implementation) but relies solely on what is reported in the papers to make its own audit?
Pathetic is a mild word to describe how government has morphed into and how low governance standards have evolved.
Is there a way out of this mess? I hope so.