Public trust and accountability

Rejoice! The genie is finally out of the bottle and it can’t be put back in.

Wittingly or unwittingly, the incompetence of P-Noy and his administration has given us significant change which we should be grateful for.

They have allowed/tolerated free discussion and public scrutiny of corruption and graft at the highest levels of government; mistakenly targeted the past administration, believing themselves to be immune from public censure due to their high public trust ratings, buttressed by their slogan “Tuwid na Daan.”

But this has not been the case.

Philippine politics will never be the same again…politicians can not expect to conduct their business, as usual. The citizenry are now awake and wise to their ways. Politicians will have to be more creative and invent new mechanisms to meet their ‘personal appetite’ for graft.

Recent developments have awakened the nation to a modus of graft at the highest level of government.

Graft, since the start of our Republic, has been a burden to taxpayers. A burden we have all silently endured due to lack of governance transparency, in the hands of our political leaders.

Politicians have whimsically and without conscience or acknowledgement of accountability used our money to enrich themselves. And, to add insult to injury, politicians made us feel beholden to them for their insincere, cavalier and bedeviled generosity. No one questioned their actions because they are our “trusted” leaders. They are, in fact, addressed as “Honorable.”

The recent SC decision on DAP is a turning point in our nation’s history. The local brand of self-enriching, insincere, patronage politics is now at its end. However, to make the most of this God-given development, we must seize the moment. There is now a great opportunity for lasting reform that will install public trust in our government institutions and our political leaders. We, as contributors to public coffers that pay for their continued existence, must insist on institutionalizing transparency supported by real public accountability. We must ensure that public interest is paramount in the use of our tax money. It is the only guarantee to see inclusive growth in our economy.

It is sad to note that COA, an agency we have entrusted with the duty to protect our interest, has failed us miserably. They have no shame or remorse for allowing such glaring graft to pass their scrutiny. All we have heard are excuses. COA must be held to account as co-conspirators in the commission of graft if they overlook the acts.

I speculate that their “good faith” in their superiors or assigned agencies may have blurred our COA auditor’s vision to discover acts of graft. Nevertheless, to tolerate graft at the highest levels of government is an unforgivable act of ‘betrayal of public trust,’ to say the least. COA has violated public trust to dutifully watch over public funds to insure their proper use, plain and simple.

If we can’t depend on COA to expose graft, then, we might as well abolish COA since their continued existence is an unproductive burden on public funds. We as taxpayers receive no benefit for their continued existence. They just provide convenient cover for the corrupt in government.

With recent revelations, under a corporate environment, COA would now have to either shape-up or ship out…No ifs or buts! If their present efficacy is the measure we are to expect…I don’t think we would tolerate more of the same from COA. From a value for money perspective, COA’s services may be more efficiently outsourced. What we need to hear from COA now are uncompromising internal purge of corrupt auditors from their roster and serious agency reforms for them to regain public trust.

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

(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 the MAP National Issues Committee and the chair and president of BNL Management Corp. He previously served as Administrator of the National Food Authority or NFA. Feedback at <[email protected] > and <[email protected]>.  For previous articles, please visit <map.org.ph>)