Monkey business in local fiefdoms

There is danger behind our current obsession with the goings-on in Mindanao and with the demonstration of genius by the alleged Filipino computer hacker. It is just possible that these two happenings might divert our attention away from other pressing and urgent concerns of our country. For instance, focusing the nation's attention, almost exclusively on the atrocities of the Abu Sayyaf and the ingenuity of the young Filipino computer expert might make us forget that corruption continues to rear its ugly head in various levels of government.

Let us take up corruption at the local government level. When the Eighth Congress passed the Local Autonomy Bill, which eventually was signed into law by then President Cory Aquino, there was great rejoicing, because of the lofty goals of the landmark law. At last, power had been devolved from the central government and passed on to the local government units. Alleluia! the entire nation chorused.

It seems that we cheered too soon. There are indications that the noble intentions of the Local Government Code are being shattered and destroyed by the penchant of kings and lords at the local level to engage in graft and corruption. Yes, the reality is that corrupt activities are going on in many local government units throughout the country.

Until February of this year, Jean-Michael Severino, a Frenchman with a very Filipino surname, was a young, top executive of the World Bank. He held the post of vice president for East Asia and the Pacific, and was based in Bangkok. For years, he was witness to the efforts of the WB to hasten the development process in Asian countries.

During his years with the World Bank, Severino probably had his high and low moments. The feeling of triumph and satisfaction generated by the success of a WB-funded project was often accompanied by a feeling of gloom and desperation which, in turn, was triggered by the realization that the WB assistance effort had failed.

When Severino resigned from the WB early this year, to begin working with the French finance ministry, he had a very candid interview with the International Herald Tribune. What he said confirmed many people's worst fears: that the hasty devolution and decentralization of powers from the national offices to the local government units have not turned out well. Severino was more categorical. He said that decentralization has been a fertile breeding ground for unchecked corruption - and inefficiency.

"The article of faith throughout the Asian region is that decentralization will deliver savings and better services to the poor and less corruption. This, I fear, is a great illusion. We could end up in a complete mess that will take a generation to reverse," Severino said in the interview.

In the Philippine context, the WB is now getting real proof that Severino's parting statements are valid, genuine observations. Some of the WB-funded projects with heavy decentralization components have bogged down, due to flaws and failures at the local level.

Apparently, decentralization is something alien to most LGU executives. There are no timetables and time frames for project implementation. The national agencies charged with assisting the projects often find themselves dealing with petty tyrants and petty crooks. Some LGU leaders are dynamic and progressive, but many have yet to imbibe the noble objectives of decentralization.

The national agencies overseeing project implementation are caught between the devil and a hard rock. While they try their darndest best to get things done, they cannot push and goad at the local level, where the LGU head is King and Master. But the tragic thing is that when evaluation time comes, the failures at the local level are attributed as failures of the national agencies that should play a supporting role. Indeed, this is not fair.

The WB should now take note that many LGUs still lack the maturity and sophistication to handle the tough task of managing and implementing projects, as Severino observed. The assumption that democracy equals decentralization is a wrong assumption, according to Severino. As of now, decentralization means less governance and more corruption, he said.

During the past several years, I have always been prodded by Fr. Tuck, an American Franciscan priest who has been serving Christ in the Philippines for almost half a century, to write about the urgent need to re-establish the famed and legendary Divine Word University in Tacloban City, which used to be one of the finest schools in the entire Visayan region. It closed down many years ago, after a long and costly labor-management dispute between the DWU administration and the faculty union.

Fr. Tuck had served as a missionary in Eastern Visayas for many years. There, he saw how the Divine Word University served as an instrument in moulding the youth to become fine citizens of our country. Fr. Tuck said it was a pity that the DWU had to close down, and that the contending parties could not reach a settlement that would restore the university to its former glory.

During the last Holy Week, I took the opportunity to visit the forlorn campus of the school. There was something pleasant that I noticed. Part of the campus, including the school-run St. Paul's Hospital, will now become the site of the St. Scholastica College of Health Sciences, offering course in physical therapy, nursing and other allied medical professions. This is a welcome step, hopefully a prelude to the restoration of Divine Word University as a leading educational institution of our country.

PULSEBEAT: The Council of Lions Presidents in Capiz Foundation wrote to ask where to send tin cans and aluminum for recycling into wheelchairs. Answer: Any Coca-Cola plant or warehouse in Roxas City, or in the branch office of WG&A...I have been asked by a STAR reader to cite some of the food items that are of biotech origin, or biotechnologically engineered. Here are some of them: tomatoes, peas, peppers, brocolli, melons, tropical fruits, potatoes, corn, lettuce, coffee, cabbage, apples, cucumbers, cantaloupe, squash, soybeans, grapes, wheat, sunflowers, peanuts, oat, onion, papaya, pear, coffee, carrot, lettuce, beet, pineapple, rice, and strawberry.

My e-mail address: <[email protected]>