Transparency

MANILA October 22, 2004 (STAR) SKETCHES By Ana Marie Pamintuan - If it's
any consolation to us, corruption is a global problem. Transparency
International (TI), in releasing its latest Corruption Perception Index,
estimated that at least $400 billion is lost annually worldwide through
bribery in government procurement.

TI expressed particular concern over corruption in large-scale public
projects, which chairman Peter Eigen said "is a daunting obstacle to
sustainable development and results in a major loss of public funds needed
for education, healthcare and poverty alleviation, both in developed and
developing countries."

Going through the ranking in the corruption index, you can see that the
least corrupt countries are also among the most prosperous.

With 10 being the perfect score in transparency, Finland topped the list
with 9.7, followed by New Zealand with 9.6. Denmark and Iceland tied for
third place with 9.5. In Asia, Singapore was ranked the cleanest, coming
in at fourth place with a score of 9.3. Hong Kong ranked 16th with 8 and
Japan placed 24th with 6.9. The United States tied for 17th place with
Belgium and Ireland with 7.5.

At the bottom of the heap were Haiti and Bangladesh followed by Nigeria,
then Chad and Myanmar.

That list alone should give us an idea of the transforming power of
transparency.

* * *

The Philippines, rating a dismal 2.6, shares the dubious distinction of
being among 60 out of 146 countries where corruption is considered
rampant. The index lumped us together with Eritrea, Papua New Guinea,
Uganda, Vietnam and Zambia

The index, based on surveys taken among risk analysts, academics and
business people, rated countries such as Nicaragua, Serbia and Montenegro,
Lebanon, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Dominican Republic better than the
Philippines. That may strike some Filipinos as unfair.

Yesterday Malacañang emphasized that corruption in this country has
festered for decades, with the Marcos regime and the aborted presidency of
Joseph Estrada worsening global perceptions of graft in the Philippines.
Estrada quickly shot back that President Arroyo was to blame.

Both are telling part of the truth. If this is going to be a blame game,
every adult Filipino could end up indicted for perpetuating a culture of
corruption. We pay fixers to facilitate the processing of documents in
government agencies. We shower politicians with gifts to seek favors. We
believe connections trump merit in the path to success. To win a case in
court, it pays to know the judge; to win a public contract, it pays to
have an influential patron or know the members of the bidding committee.

And though we know there's corruption all around us, we live and let live.

Instead of finger pointing, we should simply start doing something about a
serious problem.

* * *

The prosecution of Army Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia in the proper courts - not
in Congress where there is an abundance of "pork"-hungry crooks - is a
good start. Investigators should take care that this probe does not
degenerate into a witch-hunt.

President Arroyo has also ordered the inclusion of subjects on values in
the public school curriculum to sell young Filipinos to the idea that
corruption must be eradicated. Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago made a
similar proposal yesterday, saying subjects on ethics must be taught from
grade school to college. I don't know how effective this can be when
children see adults - both in real life and on TV and in the movies -
doing everything they're not supposed to do.

Religious workers may also want to improve their teachings so ordinary
folk can relate the seven deadly sins and the 10 Commandments to workaday
activities. It does not speak well of the Roman Catholic Church that the
bastion of the faith in this part of the world keeps being ranked among
the most corrupt countries. For many Filipinos, it seems, the principal
reason for religious devotion and prayer is not spiritual fulfillment but
to beseech the Lord for something, including a tip for the lottery or
jueteng.

Like democracy, religion is twisted in this country. Political warlords
pray on bended knees for forgiveness for murder, then kill again. Rumor
mongering and character assassination are national pastimes. There's no
divorce but a lot of philandering. There must be a serious failure of
communication here between religious shepherds and their flock.

* * *

What could communicate the gravity of corruption is not a Sunday sermon
but the sight of someone being punished for the offense.

Unfortunately for Carlos Garcia, it looks like he's it. There have been
other public officials punished recently for graft, notably Public Works
Undersecretary Salvador Pleyto, whose dismissal has been made final by the
Office of the Ombudsman. But Garcia is the big fish; the amount involved
could be massive enough to warrant a case of plunder, and his case could
sink several other prominent government careers.

Garcia will be the example for all to see, the man whose punishment will
serve as a warning that corruption no longer pays in this country. Judging
from the documents set to be used against him, it will take serious
bungling for prosecutors to lose this case.

Even with strong evidence, however, the public's main concern is that this
case will drag forever, that every attempt will be made to sweep things
under the rug and prevent the scandal from spreading especially to higher
levels of government. The fear is that somewhere along the way, there will
again be system failure and the prosecution of this celebrated case will
sputter toward an acquittal.

And money for soldiers' combat boots will continue to end up in the
pockets of a few officers. Money for roads, school buildings and teachers
will continue to go to the bank accounts of public officials. Funds
intended for national coffers will continue to be pocketed by revenue and
Customs collectors.

This is how budget deficits build up and a fiscal crisis is created. This
is how the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. This is how we are
ranked among the most corrupt countries in the world.

We can still do something about it.