Putting a stop to the culture of kleptocracy

Now we know why our farmers are poor. The report released by the Commission on Audit (COA) on the use of Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), commonly referred to as the pork barrel, for the period 2006-2009 provides ample reasons for the high levels of poverty prevailing among Filipino farmers. They were simply used as “tools” for grand schemes.

The billions of pesos “spent” for the benefit of poor farmers actually end up in private pockets of politicians and their cohorts (willing collaborators in government agencies, government owned and controlled corporations, bureaucrats, etc.). We simply heard stories before of how these people make money out of ordinary taxpayers.  Now we have ample proofs and documentary evidence how these were done by smooth operators.  Some have called this the Napoles business model. I’ll call this Napoles scheme, much simpler than Ponzi scheme, but more devious because it robs poor people of a better future.

The figures we are given are mind-boggling. (These are just for PDAF. Wait till COA releases its report on Malampaya Funds, Pagcor, and others.) But take note, these are just for three years. Yes, three years and I’m sure stealing public funds for personal benefit is something that has been done for decades now. We have heard how President Marcos and his cronies earned billions out of government projects and levies from coconut, sugar, and tobacco farmers, among others. But stealing from government coffers (read money of ordinary Filipinos) has been there since time immemorial.

We are told that before, the modus operandi is unscrupulous politicians getting “commissions” anywhere from 10-30 percent of projects be that road, bridge and other types of “hard projects”. Of course, the contractors pay for it. But it means substandard work and at times non-existent projects. Now we are hearing that 60-70 percent of “soft projects” like livelihood training programs, distribution of seeds, farm tools, etc. end up in pockets of some politicians. The operators get 30-40 percent and distributed part of it to their cohorts. Unfortunately, nothing gets into the hands of beneficiaries since these are simply “ghost projects”.

Why is a Christian country such prone to kleptocracy? Isn’t it that one of the Ten Commandments is thou shalt not steal?  Could it be that our Christianity is just superficial where faith is separate from day-to-day life? Is this what they call “Sunday Christians” or “cafeteria Catholics”?  Archbishop Soc Villegas has said it quite frankly that the Church may have failed in its evangelization to inculcate Christian teachings in our ordinary life. “The issue could also be the diminishing relevance and eroding credibility of moral shepherds … the failure of religion to make morality and ethics the foundation of all human actions and endeavors, after almost 500 years of Gospel presence.” There is still a wide gap between our faith and deeds.

In all cultures, stealing is bad. This is part of natural law. In the case of the pocketed pork barrel funds, it is not just stealing that is sinful in this act. It is also a sin against injustice to millions of Filipinos deprived of its benefits. It means lives lost due to the lack of health services in government hospitals, murders committed because of need, a long-running rebellion both from the communists and Muslim rebels that finds its root in poverty. It also means ignorance since there are not enough resources available for good quality public education, future of young people wasted since they cannot get employed because of lack of training.

How true what Saint Paul wrote to Timothy almost 2,000 years ago.  “The love of money is the root of all evils and there are some who, pursuing it, have wandered away from faith, and so given their souls any number of fatal wounds.” Just last December, we heard many of our congressmen and senators said they are good Catholics but voted for the passage of the RH Bill that clearly is against the tenets of Catholic doctrine. Did pork barrel in this case make a difference in the way our lawmakers voted? As reported in the media, Malacañang threw its all-out support by means of lobby funds, and political arm-twisting on the congressmen. The presence of Secretaries Roxas, Abad, and Lacierda in the House plenary hall during the voting invited even more suspicion.

Saint Josemaria Escriva who lived in the 20th century said “A secret, an open secret: these world crises are crises of saints … ” (The Way, 301). It simply means that many people are not living their lives consistent with their faith. All faiths whether Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, etc. all teach the precept that stealing is bad.

Bureaucracy Designed for Graft

One writer has put it this way. Systems of government are designed for graft and corruption.

Law-abiding citizens and honest government service providers are given a run around. When you have submitted a requirement, then another requirement is asked until you simply give it up or pay it off. Layers and layers of requirements are designed so that you are forced to take the short-cut and pay the grease. Everyday, people encounter this in processing permits to open a business, building occupancy, etc.

To the local chief executives and government functionaries, we ask you to simplify these things for the benefit of ordinary Filipinos.

The other evil design of government is the existence of government owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs). Why is it that government insists on keeping a number of GOCCs all these years when many are losing? Now we know why. They are convenient conduits for pork barrel funds. For powers that be, it is the way for rewarding political supporters. These GOCCs also offer extra income for government bureaucrats in the form of fat allowances as members of the board of directors or as officers of these corporations. Remember what P-Noy told us about earnings of MWSS directors? We simply say that it is not the business of government to get involved in business.

The Office of the President has in its disposal billions of pesos from Pagcor, Malampaya Funds, etc.  These funds are not included of the General Appropriations Act. Thus, such funds make it very tempting for an incumbent President to “buy” congressmen and senators for measures he wants personally pushed. It was reported in media that the former President used such funds to avert countless impeachments from getting headway. This could explain why certain lawmakers got more PDAF way beyond their limits. Now we know this, thanks to the Napoles scheme. The cat is out of the bag.

To P-Noy:  This could be one of your legacies if you dismantle the Office of the President’s Social and Intelligence Fund so that future Presidents will not be tempted again.

Let’s Take Action Now

Mr. President, your bossings want these things to be done while you are still in office. You are in the best position to do the house cleaning now.

1. Simplify processes in government, especially those that pertain to permits. The less signatures, the better. Each signature requirement is an opportunity for graft and corruption.

2. Privatize all GOCCs so government can focus on delivering services to the public.

3. All government income and revenues have to be included in the General Appropriations. The less discretionary funds, the better. As the name implies, it is open and very prone to indiscretions.

4. Abolish all types of pork barrel, intelligence funds in various government offices, including the Presidential Social Fund.

5. All releases of public funds and projects should be posted in the internet and made available to the all interested parties. This should also be done for LGUs.

6. Keep a registry of farmers to avoid “ghost” beneficiaries. This way, it is very easy to know if money goes to someone else.

7. Provide more funds to COA, Office of the Ombudsman, BIR, and Department of Justice out of the savings from PDAF so they can hire more people to fast-track the prosecution of hundreds of individuals involved in these schemes.

To our lawmakers:  Please pass the Freedom of Information bill soon. Now we know why you have dillydallied on this bill.

To the Office of the Ombudsman:  Prosecute all those involved in the PDAF and Malampaya Funds.  If no one gets to jail because of this, then it will just be business as usual.

But this is not just for government alone. Ordinary citizens can help in instituting a culture of honesty and integrity by not giving in to the easy way out. Parents have an important role to play by teaching their children that it is honorable to earn honestly and not to tell a lie. These are little things that can actually pave the way to a better Philippines.

We need to put a stop to kleptocracy now.

Your Honor, it is not honorable to steal and to tell a lie.

(This article reflects the personal opinion of the author and does not reflect the official stand of the Management Association of the Philippines. The author is a member of MAP agribusiness and countryside development committee, project manager of the Farm Business School project of MAP, and dean of the MFI Farm Business School. Feedback at <[email protected]> and <[email protected]>. For previous articles, please visit www.map.org.ph)