Baguio mayor to pols on stopping corruption

 BEHIND THE SCENES

 Alfred P. Dizon

BAGUIO CITY – Local chief executives of Cordillera which included mayors and governors must have had impish smiles when Baguio City Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong urged them to “put an end to traditional politics and corruption since it was not in consonance to good governance.”
    Magalong made the appeal during the Regional Development Council – Cordillera Administrative Region 2022 performance review and 2023 planning conference here on Jan. 26.
    Magalong, chairperson of RDC-CAR’s development administration and good governance sectoral committee, presented the committee’s work and financial plan for fiscal year 2023 anchored on the latest Philippine Development Plan’s DevAd strategies which includes practicing good governance and improving public financial management, according to a report from a certain RJMV of the regional office of the Dept. of Interior and Local Government.
    “Good governance is probably the most abused term among politicians,” Magalong said urging local chief executives to take the lead in eradicating corruption.  Are we willing to give up our special perks and privileges to really promote good governance? If there is anyone among us here today who should probably spearhead that, I would say are the local chief executives. If it does not start from us, then no one will follow,” he said.
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He said in one of his talks with newly-elected officials, he observed they were attentive when it came to technology but when he talked on good governance and corruption, their attention dwindled. “You see we have a huge problem,” he said.
    Citing the country’s P13.64 trillion foreign debt, Magalong said according to former Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Chua, managing financial leakage can help the government develop its capacity to pay off its debt.
    He added a major chunk of this leakage “goes to corruption.” “Kailan tayo hihinto?” Magalong asked.
    Based from the DILG article, the city mayor also lamented “persisting culture of traditional politics in the country where “guns, goons, and money and asserting due influence on other candidates and to the voters” are used to propagate their own brand of politics.”
    “Traditional politicians want to make elections expensive para sila lang nang sila. Are we not going to consider that it is about time to bring in young people in government? Because young people have that courage, that energy. They have those innovative ideas, they are aggressive, they are courageous,” he added.
    Magalong urged the RDC-CAR, through its chairperson Apayao Gov. Elias C. Bulut, Jr., to create a network or a movement of promoting good governance that he said, will hopefully impact other regions, local chief executives and local government units.
    “The truth of the matter is, let's get serious about it. It’s a serious problem we need to address… We are suffering and it requires a lot of intervention from our political leaders. Once again, we have to lead by example,” Magalong said.
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About two decades ago, multilateral institutions providing development assistance around the world including the Philippines began taking a closer look at the impact of corruption on projects funded by their aid programs.
    The studies determined that corruption retarded poverty alleviation efforts and the pace of development. On Dec. 9, 2003, the United Nations approved the Convention Against Corruption – one of several international agreements that are legally binding on the state parties. The convention now has 186 signatory states, with the Philippines joining in 2006.
    The Philippines has tough laws against various forms of corruption. Apart from the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, there is also a Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, which prohibits acts such as receiving expensive gifts from persons dealing with government agencies.
    A key problem, as in most laws in this country, is enforcement, according to anti-graft crusaders. That code of conduct, whose prohibited acts can earn violators five years in prison and a fine, is broken in many ways and varying degrees every day. Opportunities for accepting grease money are built into systems and procedures.         This is one of the major disincentives to job-generating investments.
    Another problem is the weakness of political will. It took years and threats of an international financial blacklist before lawmakers approved the inclusion of corruption among the predicate crimes covered by the Anti-Money Laundering Act. Even when the AMLA is applied by the AML Council, however, crooked public officials can still find kindred spirits in the judiciary.
    In too many cases, justice is sold to the highest bidder, rendering the toughest laws toothless. And the Office of the Ombudsman cannot even freely investigate members of the judiciary for graft.
    The Supreme Court has ordered the ombudsman to wait for the conclusion of the SC’s own administrative probe of magistrates accused of wrongdoing before initiating a criminal probe. A judge or justice accused of corruption could be dead before the Office of the Ombudsman gets its hands on him.
    Little wonder then that impunity in corruption reigns. Those who use public office for personal gain are not only spared from punishment, but are also free to hold public office again.    
    What is needed is full enforcement, anti-graft advocates maintain. But then again, when you see an official wink at you, don’t always think he is corrupt. He may just wants to have a good time after a hard day’s work of meeting people or having coffee at a plush hotel discussing, well things like multi-million peso projects.