An evening of talks on politics, corruption

BEHIND THE SCENES

Alfred P. Dizon

BAGUIO CITY -- One evening here at Luisa’s Restaurant, the undisputed watering hole of Baguio media along Session Road, the conversation became more interesting when a contractor joined our table. We were talking about corruption among government agencies, considering it is now current national media talk, when he joined us.
    We asked him, (meaning their group of contractors) who they will support the coming May elections for a top position next year in a nearby province.
    “Ni Mr. Clean lattan a. (It will be Mr. Clean of course,)” he said in the Ilocano dialect. He explained the guy never took any moolah from his group when he was still holding elective office. He said as of this time, this was their consensus.
    Anyway, he said, we will know who the contenders will be by October. How about this guy from the south? He said it would still be a better choice if the top honcho of the province would be “organic.” Environmentalist samet suna (I think he is an environmentalist,” one said, referring to the Southern Man.
    He explained the guy loves green. “You see, along with some enterprising guys from this government agency,he had a lot of roadsides installed with green nets supposedly to catch wayward stones from hitting passing vehicles or people.”
    Our contractor answered with a wink. “Let’s put it this way. When you catch not only stones and soil with a net, it is a different matter.” Somebody ordered another bucket of beer.The group wanted to hear more. “Mamingsan tun ta agur uray da iyawid koma kanijay balay, (Next time because my family is waiting for the food I will bring home.”
    Our contractor knew when to stop talking.
Not for some media guys who talk about their colleagues. One said a peer drove an SUV going to South Drive with a precious cargo recently that had the whole universe talking about it and its related issues on social media involving lawyers, officials and shady characters.
    Enough of this as this tele-novela could reach high heavens where the manipulative and greedy aliens are. This could be talked about in another issue of the NPT.So back to discreet moolah talks, the favorite  among those in offices funded even by those who sell along roadsides and chased away by your favorite POSDs.
                    ***
Our perennially drunk neighborhood philosopher always says when I meet him on the roadside, the culture of corruption has become imbedded in thisBanana Republic basing from almost daily reports involving government officials particularly those who hold the reins.
    He adds folks have become immune or just plain indifferent to these as they have more pressing concerns like putting food on the table while the undertakers get more from the nation’s piggy bank.
    “Hapihapi latta dagitoy nalaing nga agsala ken ag withdraw,” our philosopher says.“Di bale ta adda met siguro election next year (Those who know how to play the game and who know how to withdraw are always happy. Anyway, there could be elections next year).
    He said he wished the waywards particularly those who are good in math involving millions would get Covid so they would change for the better. At least it is free.
                    ***
Anyhow, off to more serious matters.
    The Commission on Audit, a constitutional institution, recently earned the ire of President Rodrigo Duterte when its 2020 annual audit report on the Dept. of Health revealed irregularities involving more than P67 billion worth of taxpayers’ money.
In the past, the President had joked about pushing a state auditor down the stairs, or kidnapping and torturing them. This time, Duterte said the  COA report flagging the DOH destroyed the reputation of certain individuals.
    Health Sec. Francisco Duque III meanwhile emoted that “winawarak” performance during a congressional hearing.
Former COA commissioner Heidi Mendoza, who first gained national prominence because of her work exposing corruption in the military during the Arroyo administration tried to explain the audit process in her social media posts.
She created a page, Makatang Makwenta (she also writes poems). She engaged with those who commented on her posts. Now, she is being criticized and trolled.
    Mendoza started with the COA in 1984, was appointed commissioner by former President Benigno Aquino III, and resigned in 2015 to become undersecretary general for the Office of Internal Oversight Services of the United Nations.
    She returned to the Philippines in late 2019, publishing her book Audit is Life!—a compilation of her experiences of the human side of conducting audits across the country.
    “Before we are auditors, we are, first, citizens. [Knowing about the audit findings] is our right. We have to make sure our money is accounted for—it is our money, after all,” Mendoza said. She wished audit reports were written in a way that more people would understand and appreciate it, and so that it would not be open to all sorts of interpretation.
    According to Mendoza, the greatest lesson we can learn from this episode is that we have not learned how to balance flexibility and accountability.
The COA could be stringent with its processes and generally discourages shortcuts. But it does recognize the need to be flexible—say, during an emergency when the need to procure certain goods and services is so urgent that one cannot afford to go the usual route. 
    “A lot of times we complain about the procedures, and we want to change or do away with the procurement law, we have to relax some rules just to get things done.”
    In order to do this right, however, there must be a sense of accountability. “I think we have not matured enough,” Mendoza says. “Our internal controls are shallow. We relaxed the rules so we could respond to the crisis, but what happened was that it only created greater opportunity for questionable transactions, for people who take advantage of the lack of control.”
    The honor system does not work here, sadly. “The ‘kapal mukha’ system is what we have. We are not there yet.” She adds that honor should be embedded in us in such a way that when the call for flexibility arises, we can adjust without necessarily sacrificing the tenets of accountability.”