BEHIND THE SCENES
Alfred P. Dizon
If the public is cynical in paying taxes, blame government officials
involved in corruption.
People know
it is a must for them to pay taxes, but most don’t want to give hard-earned
money to government because, deep in their minds, they know these will land in
the wrong hands and will be malversed by corrupt officials.
My
favourite barber says the public wants rotten apples, like those involved in
the Napoles scam charged, tried and jailed.So if no big fish will be caught and
jailed after all these investigations, he says, then we can safely conclude
that everything including Senate investigations on the matter, were just
moro-moro or all for show. To show his disgust, he says he may copy my bald
‘guapo” hair style as a form of penitence and protest in time for the Lenten
Season.
Malversation
of public funds had been going on for ages in government offices of this Banana
Republic,but it seems, nothing can stop this which sociologists are calling a
cultural aberration.
***
Sociologists
say people usually don’t squeal on their acquaintances, friends, kin or bosses
even if they know they are part of the corruption so as not to destroy “good
relations.”
“Honor” in
this country is lip service unlike in other countries like Japan where
officials suspected of corruption end their lives through cultural ‘hara-kiri. Just
watch your favorite politician make a speech and see what he is really doing
behind closed doors.
“Take
these high officials involved in the Napoles scam,”my seasoned barber says in
my latest shaving ritual, “they just shrug allegations against them and even
claim accusations are figments of imagination by their detractors. Anybody who
is innocent would answer charges in investigations like those in the Senate, even
without a lawyer in tow if he has a clean conscience.” Ilokano panagsauna Apo
ngem in Ingles tayo tapnu maawatan dadduma haan nga kakailyan.
***
In the local
level, in the Cordillera for example, another veteran tipsy newsman says in
another setting, despite media and public barbs, why can’t the Regional
Development Council and other elective officials account for around P90 million
released by the national government for almost seven years for information
campaign to make constituents more aware of so-called benefits of an autonomous
region?
The
regional Commission on Audit had admitted most of the money was unliquidated.
Who will answer for this? He rants. Why is nobody pressing charges against
officials who wasted or absconded the money? Why is the COA or any concerned
government official or agency not initiating a probe on the matter and charge
those involved in court? Then he takes a another swig of the poison.
Sociologists
say people have become so jaded they don’t care to go the extra mile of making
those responsible answer for corruption of public funds as they have more
important things to do like putting food on the table for the next meal.
Besides, most of the time, those charged for corruption usually go scot free if
they have the money and connections. Justice, Philippine style, my newsman
friend says.
***
After all
these conversations with ordinary “Cordillerans,” maybe it is high time, a
dedicated group of individuals from the private and public sectors including
church personalities band together and start an honest-to-goodness investigation
to find out what really happened to the funds as it seems, the government
doesn’t want to do anything about it.
One of the
group’s functions could be to file charges against those responsible to give
justice to lesser folks who toil day in, day out to pay their taxes only to
find out these were not used properly by those these were entrusted to.
Suggested
name of the group: Cordillera Task Force Against Autonomy Fund Misuse or
CTFAAFM. Since this is rather long, maybe Cordillerans Against Autonomy Fund
Misuse (CAAFM) would do.
The group
could start on this, expand membership and investigate other government fund
anomalies like those on contract projects. If the group is successful, their
venture could be replicated in the country. After all, we are a nation of
copycats, again, according to our media friend.
***
In the
case of the “missing” autonomy funds, it is high time the COA Cordillera
regional office bares to the public who were responsible for the anomalies.
It need
not take the COA central office in Manila or one learned in rocket science to
do the first step but rather those in the region who know more about what
really happened. The COA, people are saying, should now start the ball rolling and identify
these erring officials.
Like we
said earlier, nobody would believe the RDC or the government for that matter in
their so-called “renewed thrust for Cordillera autonomy” if they can’t even account
for the missing funds. Otherwise, our neighborhood drunken philosopher would
likely say again – “naitunon.”
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