Government services are not for free

If we read the Constitution, it is very clear that the prime duty of the government is to serve and protect the people. The government was created by the people to serve their needs, protect their rights and safeguard their welfare and well-being. But government services are not for free. We pay a lot at levels not determined by us but by the government.

People pay taxes to finance the government operations as contained in the general appropriation act. And so, when people go to the agencies and their offices, public officials and government personnel should serve them with a sense of respect and compassion, a sense of urgency, and never make it difficult for these citizens. People should not be made to stand in long lines just to go to the treasurer's and other offices to pay taxes, renew licenses, and get business permits. The people have paid for these services and still come to pay tribute in forms of taxes, license fees, and permits renewal fees.

After paying taxes to the government partly to fund infrastructure build-up, the people still have to pay toll fees when they pass through highways built with funds contributed by the citizens. This is not only double but multiple taxation since the people use these highways every day. They also pay every day. When we go abroad, we need to pay travel tax and pay more for airport fees and so on and so forth. The airlines, shipping lines, and land transport lines are taxed as well. And these business corporations shift the burden to the travelers. That means that when passengers, commuters, and travelers pay the transport providers they are being taxed again.

Take PhilHealth, for instance. Despite the Universal Healthcare Law, workers and their employers pay contributions to PhilHealth every month. And so, when they submit claims for reimbursement, this agency should not make the workers wait for 60 days or 60 months just to receive the reimbursement. With a digital bureaucracy, this reimbursement should be done within 48 hours at the latest. These are not funds owned by PhilHealth. This is money deposited in trust by the workers and they should be paid and be served with an utmost sense of urgency. PhilHealth is too slow, too inefficient, and leaves so much to be desired.

The Department of Labor and Employment, by issuing its Department Order No. 198 imposes excessive and confiscatory fines. If a small company does not have a safety officer, such a struggling enterprise is imposed no less than a ?20,000 to ?40,000 fine every day. I repeat, every day. If the small or medium-scale company is not able to afford very expensive personal protective equipment, again, these financially-strapped establishments are required to pay ?20,000 to ?40,000 every day until these equipment are bought. What is worse is that the companies cannot just buy from any source. Suppliers should be accredited by the government. This is a cruel and unusual penalty to poor entrepreneurs.

The government collects fees for birth certificates, marriage contracts, death certificates, police clearances, NBI clearances, and fiscal and court clearances. The government never gives services without getting money from the people. When we eat in the restaurant, when we buy mineral water for drinks, even our maintenance medicines are being taxed, and even the cremation of our body and the burial of the dead are being taxed.

While the Constitution demands that the government's primordial duty is to serve and protect the people, the truth is that the government puts a price tag for every service rendered to the citizens. Nothing is free. And what is worse, the people do not have a choice of other service providers. The people, for instance, cannot say that they want to disengage from PhilHealth and get their own HMO that provides better and cheaper medical services. People are stuck with the PhilHealth monopoly, with its mediocre and delayed services.

This is the tragedy of a government that does not live up to the fundamental tenet that sovereignty resides in the people and all authority emanates from them.