Fixing the corrupt, past and present

By CHITO DELA TORRE
December 16, 2008

Chairman Ricardo Saludo of the Civil Service Commission did it well reading for Ombudsman Ma. Merceditas Gutierrez the concrete things ever done by the Office of the Ombudsman in fighting corruption in the Philippines during last Tuesday morning’s Celebration of the International Anti-Corruption Day.

The lady Ombudsman started to lose her voice as she read the introductory part of her office’s accomplishment and what the other government agencies and Philippine sectors had done in response to the Ombudsman’s crusade to curb and punish corruption.  She requested Chairman Saludo to continue the reading and the latter cheerfully obliged.

The CSC chief managed to insert adlibs on the Commission’s newest anti-corruption campaign program known as “Fix the Fixer”.  His brainchild newest idea of ensuring the drastic reduction of corrupt practices particularly in the abominable practice of extortion and bribery, which result in bureaucratic red tape (delays) and also losses in government income as well as in erosion of faith in government service, was launched by him towards the closing of the International Anti-Corruption Day and launching of the  National Summit on United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) campaign, last December 9 morning at Pasig City.  The launch actually came before the organizers and those who were present at the “summit” sang “Pilipinas Kong Mahal”.

Through Saludo’s baby, every citizen is encouraged to immediately report any occasion of fixing, so that the fixer could be fixed in due time.  He gave telephone and cellular phone numbers which the general public can use in reporting the opprobrious corrupt act.  Said the Civil Service chairman, the report will immediately be investigated.  He had advised that the important things to be reported should include the name of the fixer the office and location where the fixing act is being committed, and the date and time of the act.

The Ombudsman report which became the highlight of last Tuesday’s most significant and most relevant event gave a very clear view - via a PowerPoint presentation which backed up the report as being read - of the many things that the Ombudsman had done, has been and is doing.  These included officials being dismissed or suspended.

OMB Gutierrez said in her opening that her office and she herself were already being criticized even before critics could know what the Ombudsman was doing.  Those detractors ought not to be believed, she insisted.

Chairman Saludo remarked in his reading of the OMB report that the Ombudsman has made a remarkable accomplishment. Where once the case efficiency rate was very low, lately, he said, he has observed it has come to the vicinity of 87 percent.

Both Gutierrez and Saludo were hopeful that with the revealing report and the next steps or actions that the Ombudsman and the Civil Service Commission would be undertaking, coupled by the active participation of the civil society, all government agencies up to the local government unit level (provincial, city and municipal), and the education and religious sectors, the Philippines can have a much better chance of reforming its public service.

OMB Gutierrez, however, deplored that notwithstanding the international significance of the day’s event, she had not seen the heads of offices in attendance.  Well, the huge Ultra where the convention was held in Pasig City still had many empty seats when explored by the television camera of National Broadcasting Network.

She also talked at length about the Government Service Insurance System, concluding, wisely, however, that those working in the GSIS can help the Ombudsman and the government’s crusade against corruption.

The minuscule representation of the more than one hundred government agencies, bureaus and offices, gave her an inspiringly prolonged applause.

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Quite coincidentally, the event came out on TV while I was reviewing my reading materials on anti-corruption at this time of the year when I was feeling low due to deplorable events that had been happening one after another, and also serially, right in the areas where I thought genuine “reform” could be fostered and demonstrated effectively.

After Saludo’s brief remarks about his “Fix the Fixer” drive, I wondered if he and the OMB could resuscitate instances of corruption of not long ago that had been obliterated by the simple expedient of barrio people not acting fast on a road that irresponsible officials regarded as “complete” or “just all right” even if was washed out and restored to its sloven, watery and muddy state.  I also wondered if the CSC and the OMB have enough axes to grind when office superiors coddle, instead of at least initiating an investigation, subordinates who have committed acts of dishonesty, misfeasance, or nonfeasance, or malfeasance.   These acts unbecoming of a public servant did stink, and they still stink even as noses around me are nosing for a white Christmas.

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To the Ombudsman and the Civil Service Commission, I wish you good luck, and may God the Almighty bless and guide your ways always.  Congratulations for the wonderful things you are doing to tailor a good name for Philippine public service and public administration!  Mabuhi kamo!  I’m with you.

Last eye openers on Tacloban’s HUC bid

The debate that never was on the “HUC-hood” of Tacloban left many Taclobanons guessing as to the real intention behind the novel bid of asking the voters of the city to accept the proposition to make Tacloban highly urbanized after 55 years since it became a component city of the province of Leyte.

Many looked forward to that debate that was called for by the Commission on Elections, with the Knights of Columbus and the tri-media ready as sponsors.  City mayor Alfred Romualdez didn’t show up - for a good reason.

Not a better reason to those who were ready to face the mayor and rebut the “yes to HUC” propositions.

In the post-debate-schedule television episode of a public affairs program hosted by city councilor Bob Abellanosa in the TV network that he himself manages, the “no to HUC” advocates were left without recourse but to heavily criticize the no-show-up manifestation and to take advantage of their exclusivity in that TV program.

Bob concluded his dialogue with his fellow anti-HUC councilors with a bitter note, transliterating the acronym “HUC” to mean “highly urbanized cowardice”.  Bob must have extracted that from the preceding views in his TV program where businessman-councilor Wilson Uy and lawyer-councilor Pedro Panis took turns in alluding to the failure of the mayor in the debate as an act of cowardice.

Vice-mayor Arvin Antoni appeared more appealing and persuasive in sharing his thoughts with the TV audiences.  He was in his usual professional self as he dealt with the heavy reasons why the people of Tacloban should reject the HUC and vote no come plebiscite day on December 18.

Atty. Panis talked at length about the purchase by the city government of about 400 hectares in a barrio north of the city proper for an exorbitant and unconscionable price (P16.5 million! - did I hear him right?).

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For what they said on TV this week, I take liberty to describe the three guests - Antoni, Panis and Uy - as the “The Three Wise Men of Tacloban City circa 2008”.  Counting in Bob would make the threesome group the “Four Musketeers of HUC”.

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Perhaps the “good reason” adverted to here is the fact that quite many Taclobanons now are aware why the Romualdez administration (Uncle Bejo admitted in barangay meetings that the HUC-hood was his idea) is” evading” (the Four Musketeers used the word “evasive”, but in the present context here, I think the appropriate terminology would simply be “ignoring”) a face-to-face debate with the main debater of the “reject HUC” bid.  (In an earlier forum with law students, it was city lawyer Sergio Sumayod talking for the main proponents of “accept HUC” bid.  Originally, it was the mayor who was expected to talk for the affirmative side.  On the negative side, Atty. Arvin Antoni was speaking softly - no, not argumentatively, not even in a hostile manner as he never raised his voice) - as if to ensure that his listeners [and later on, the audiences that watched the TV mileage on that forum] understood his point.  There is no further point to face detractors in a debate - some could be saying - because anyway, day and night, barker vehicles go around downtown and the outskirts to exhort Taclobanons to vote “yes” to HUC.  Besides, they could also be saying, the city administration has had spent huge sums of money already for its “yes” campaign, and several tarpaulins proclaim one or more reasons why Taclobanons should vote “yes”.  Some printed materials had already been circulated to reinforce the information drive.

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I will have my own vote on the HUC plebiscite.  If I will vote “yes”, it’d be because I believe that maybe with Tacloban transformed into a highly urbanized city, Taclobanons can have much better hopes for socio-economic and political progress.  If I will vote “no”, it ‘d be because I would not want Tacloban to be made a laughing stock among denizens of genuinely highly urbanized cities that could stand on their own, when still after 3 years of being HUC,  Tacloban’s “now HUC-attributable problems” would worsen.

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Yes, it is correct there’s no provision in the Local Government Code of 1991 that a HUC could be receiving more benefits from the national government.  On the contrary, a HUC Tacloban would be left entirely on its own, deciding independently of the provincial government, and getting a bigger internal revenue allotment of which the biggest part will be entirely for its own use.

Yet, there also are no provisions in the same law that specifically bar HUC leaders from asking (the askers are to called political beggars) assistance from the national government.

Yes, a HUC Tacloban would become a congressional unit of its own, thus, it will elect its own representative to the House of Representatives.

But it will have no governor, like Ormoc City, and thus it will de denied of any help from the provincial government of Leyte, and why should it deserve one when it will no longer participate in the election of provincial officials even if the Provincial Capitol will still be a micromillimeter away from the political territory of Tacloban?, and then it will suffer the odious fate of perpetually waiting for congressional mercy for bills that its elected representative may be introducing to be enacted into laws, as do congressmen  from all the districts in the Eastern Visayas region.

Nonetheless, Tacloban could behave, as it should even now, ever ready to assume a higher role without punishing its traditionally impoverished communities.