Golden age of corruption

I stood outside the cramped police station under the scorching heat of the noonday sun waiting for the burly station chief. I was there to get a police clearance because I changed the color of my car and the clearance was necessary for the annual vehicle registration. 

I was hoping for an easy day, but as what usually happens when we transact with some of our government offices, I did not have an easy day. 

Sensing my frustration, a friendly lanky man with sunburnt skin and a toothless smile hovering around the vicinity offered to speed things up for me for a minimal fee. If I didn’t want to, I could just wait the whole afternoon, he jested.

Oh, how I regretted changing the color of my car!

From petty corruption to big time crimes

It’s appalling to see just how much corruption in the country has worsened post-EDSA and how much it has affected our everyday, mundane lives. 

The actual registration process was arduous as well. I had to go back to the Land Transportation Office not once, not twice, but five times in all to complete everything because the system remains inefficient and susceptible to corruption every step of the way.

But this story isn’t mine alone. It is my story as much as it is the story of many other citizens transacting with the government.

For three months now, a fellow Filipino journalist has been waiting for a package of media equipment sent by the foreign publication he works for. 

The package, which came from a nearby Asian country, is stuck with the Bureau of Customs because the officials are asking for this and that. One would really be tempted to look for a broker who can pay off Customs officials to speed things up – perhaps it’s what they’re waiting for.

We all know just how much corruption has worsened in the BOC under the Duterte administration.

 It is only under this government that tons of shabu have been smuggled clearly in connivance with Customs insiders.

Remember the P6.8 billion worth of shabu that found its way to the country last year? That is equivalent to 1,600 kilograms of shabu, or the poor man’s cocaine. A single mongo-sized pinch of shabu is enough to give one a fix.  Imagine what 1,600 kilograms can do.

Pastillas scandal

And then of course, there’s the massive corruption at the Bureau of Immigration with the infamous airport escort services scheme for Chinese workers of illegal POGOs, or Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators.

Under the scheme, the Chinese hires pay P10,000 to immigration officials to enter the country without the necessary work visas.

I broke the story about this scheme in a July 2019 column and, at the time, the Department of Justice vowed to look into the matter. But nothing happened. Now, the scheme is the subject of a Senate investigation.

Economic crime and fraud

I am not imagining these things. Survey results confirm this.

The Philippines fell 14 notches in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index which showed that illegal deals in the country worsened in 2019. 

The country is at 113th out of 180 countries in battling graft and corruption, down 14 notches last year. The country garnered a score of 34, with zero as “highly corrupt” and 100 as “very clean.” 

A survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers also showed that bribery and corruption in the Philippines have indeed spiked in the last two years, with a fifth of businesses saying they were made to pay grease money. 

“This year’s results reveal that this particular type of fraud is picking up again over the last 24 months, moving up by three notches from fifth last year to 21 percent in 2020, from 18 perent in 2018, and 25 percent in 2016. Another 14 percent of respondents (from 12 percent in 2018 and 17 percent in 2016) have also alleged that they have lost a business opportunity from a competitor who paid bribes,” PwC said.

PwC surveyed 101 businesses – local firms and multinational companies. 

Businessmen I’ve talked to also sigh in frustration over worsening corruption in local government units, in the courts and in the legislative branch.

Duterte’s promises

Some of President Duterte’s campaign promises – from his pledge to crack down on corruption to his feisty vow to go to the disputed West Philippine Sea on a jet ski to assert Manila’s claim against China -- are turning out to be nothing but just promises and hyperboles. 

But for us to really move forward as a nation, our leaders must take the fight against corruption seriously. Corruption means having less funds for public services such as education and health. The ultimate victims are the Filipino people.

There’s really so much to do when it comes to cleaning government agencies and ridding the labyrinthine bureaucracy of graft, red tape and corruption. 

Unfortunately, empty promises and big speeches will not solve the problem and, if things stay as they are now, the Duterte administration’s biggest legacy may be the golden age of corruption in the country. 

Iris Gonzales’ email address is [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @eyesgonzales. Column archives at eyesgonzales.com