Corruption Perceptions Index defines corruption as the abuse of public office for private gain and asks questions related to the misuse of public power for private benefits, including bribery of public officials, kickbacks in public procurement, embezzling public fund and encompasses both administrative and political corruption.
It is saddening to note that corruption has become the greatest shame of the people but it is slowly becoming a way of life not only for those in the government but in the private sector as well. It is being accepted by the people as an innate part of politics.
Eradicating poverty and corruption were among the ten priorities of Philippine President Gloria Arroyo. Arroyo is aware of the problem and is giving anti-graft agencies the needed funding and support to get rid of the corrupt in government. The top placer on anti-graft programs is Singapore, which was also No. 1 in 2006.
The proposed Philippine government budget for 2008 amounts to P1.227-trillion. The House appropriations committee chairman said that, “while the House maintained the expenditure level proposed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, it cut from within the projected appropriations to assure additional allotments for social services and infrastructure to the tune of P30 billion. The Constitution prohibits Congress from increasing the appropriations recommended by the President for the operation of the government. For to do so, would stunt growth, hinder and even perpetuate poverty.
There are reports that alleged, corrupt personnel of the Department of Agriculture and Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) that have connived with land owners and Land Bank personnel to make money at the farmer's expense, found to have fixers and incompetents. Insensitive corrupt staff in DAR offices makes DAR and Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) liabilities, rather than assets in the quest for agrarian justice and rural development. This is disastrous considering the importance of agrarian reform in the economic, political and social progress of countries where a large segment of the population depends on agriculture for survival. Reports has also been made that Non-Governmental Organizations have used agrarian reform to gain media mileage and funding rather than work for the success of the program. Pickets, strikes, marches, and rallies symbolize the desperate and often futile struggle of the country's small farmers for land, livelihood and survival to be able to air their grievances. The blisters on their feet, the hunger and dehydration suffered under the heat of the sun, the physical exhaustion illustrates so well the endless suffering, both physical and mental, of a majority of the country's poor farmers.
According to the Local Newspapers, there are public officials receiving amounts ranging from P200,000 to P500,000 and estimates has it that the payoffs amounted to around P120 million. Despite all this, there are children in the Philippines, wanting to go to school but could not because they have no means for the most basic necessities in life. Cause-and-effect, corruption is not just something they do to themselves it is something they do to the less fortunate. Corruption takes away and it indeed kills. The problem lies in governance and lack of political will. Public office being a public trust, public officials should not just act with propriety, integrity, responsibility and honesty but have to avoid the appearance of impropriety.
In a report submitted by a State Auditor of the Commission on Audit (COA), the Department of Public Works and Highways was ordered to justify projects worth P1.525 billion for the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) Summit held last January 2007 in Cebu province that were pursued in violation of Republic Act 9184, otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Law. Under Section 10 of R.A. 9184, all government procurements should be done through competitive bidding, except those provided for in Article 16 of the Act where negotiated procurements are allowed under certain conditions. The purpose of a competitive public bidding is to arrive at a fair and reasonable price and preclude overpricing, favoritism and anomalous practices. It ensures transparency in the procurement process while competitiveness aims to give equal opportunity to other eligible and qualified contracting parties in the bidding. COA's findings was that, the 136 projects were implemented without public bidding and 63 of these, costing P766.75 million, were implemented without appropriate funding and perfected contracts. Also the approved budget for the contracts for the supply and installation of street lamps were bloated and some were found excessive.
Public officials are prone to violating the following laws: Republic Act 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act; Republic Act 6713 known as the Code of Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees; and Republic Act 9184, the Government Procurement Reform Act.
Another report is with regards to National Power Corporation (Napocor) involving public services and public interest specifically with regards to electricity and the consumers are always complaining of the high cost of electricity. Complaints alleged that Napocor entered into contracts that were grossly disadvantageous to the consuming public when it purchased coal at twice the prevailing market prices. All of these signs of corruption are flooding the headlines in broadsheets and other newspapers.
