Corruption:Undermines the economy
A week from now, we shall pick our leaders from an array of pretenders and contenders. They are from all walks of life. From actors/actresses to sports icons, from newbies to veteran lawmakers, from decent pols to the popular ones, etc. All of them promising to effect change and are portraying to be decent and clean.
To reminisce, when I was a kid, the people who surrounded me had been so, at the very least, star-struck and at the most, aghast, about politicians. This is so, they said, because on their triumphs they became patriots, while on their defeats, they were endeared as heroes.
Now, a grown-up, my impression is quite different. I am about to believe that politicians are the “chosen ones”. I’m about to be swayed to such belief because, seemingly, they are very “well protected” with readily available excuses that they can easily grab and conveniently use.
For one, if someone accuses them of malfeasances, they can always parry these allegations by saying “these are politically motivated”. Secondly, when the accusations are found to have factual basis or are filed in the court, they will simply try to elicit public sympathy and sanitize themselves before potential voters by saying, “it is pure political harassment” or “concocted by the administration to bring my ratings down”.
Today, these phrases are gaining prominence as, for one, presidential survey leader Mayor Duterte is hit by another accusation. Allegedly, he owns several bank accounts (with huge deposits and balances in 2014) with the Bank of the Philippine Islands. Same bank accounts were not disclosed in his 2014 SALN (or Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth). Portraying to be a graft-buster (and is one of the primary reasons why he tops in surveys), he is now viewed widely as corrupt himself. As expected, he and his supporters are setting these accusations aside as totally unfounded and are concocted by this administration to bring his ratings down.
The fact though was, Mayor Duterte, first and foremost, denied outright the existence of such accounts, then, hours later confirmed, that he had those but with small balances. Every thinking Filipino should know that it is not the balance that matters, but the transactions that transpired. The INs (deposits) and OUTs (withdrawals) at a certain period of time.
Cebuanos though are not new to SALN misstatements of politicians. To recall, sometime in March, 2013, private citizen Roberto Letaba’s requested Ombudsman-Visayas “to conduct a lifestyle check on then Rep. Pablo John Garcia of Cebu’s 3rd district after photos surfaced of the congressman’s mansion in Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City”.
On the other hand, his sister, then Gov. Gwen Garcia took the same “politically motivated” phrase, as usual, as shield or shelter. Whether it will work for her candidacy this time, we aren’t privy to that. What we know is that the Ombudsman found “probable cause” that the government was disadvantaged relative to the acquisition by the Capitol of the Balili property in Naga in her term. The court’s magistrates, knowledgeable and credible that they are, shall certainly hand down the verdict with all impartiality and decency.
The same is true with one of Cebu’s known white elephant, the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC). Constructed at a price close to one billion pesos, it remains a symbol of a politician’s insatiable thirst for power and money.
Today, another sibling runs for Cebu governor. After parrying criticisms about his mismanagement (which included the purchase of Juan Luna’s paintings, in millions, and the non-working IBM software) of the GSIS, Winston Garcia, has presented himself before Cebuanos. Asking voters not to vote on person (obviously, because of credibility issues) but on programs, he enumerated several proposed infrastructures that shall be purely undertaken by the private sector or at no cost to the provincial government.
Actually, Cebu is not new to infrastructures that shall be undertaken purely by the private sector. For one, the MVP group will undertake the third Mactan-Cebu Bridge. The question is, will deals like these be corruption-free? If it is, then, like this MVP Group’s proposed bridge, it fully benefits us. If not, then, we, Cebuanos, will suffer. Why? Because the proponents will pass on to the infra users (in the form of toll fees), whatever amount that went into the politicians’ pocket. Therefore, we, the infra users will pay more. Consequently, our budget for other needs will suffer.
Likewise, when projects (like Balili property and CICC) are financed by government funds, we must all be vigilant and discerning. To recall, the Balili property, despite being underwater, was worth more than P4,000,000 per hectare. Moreover, CICC costs us almost a billion for the construction alone (as Mandaue City owns the lot). Due to these apparent padded prices, there were other relevant programs (that could have uplifted the economic well-being of the many) that have to be shelved (as these projects siphon the money).
Corruption, indeed, undermines the economy. Therefore, in taking your picks a week from now, let the candidates’ track records and credibility be the determinants. In your hands rest the economic well-being of Cebu and the country.
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