Corruption: Focus of COA week symposia

By Eliza C. Cabalfin

CORRUPTION AND ITS many aspects have been the focus of three symposia held at the Professional Development Center (PDC) in celebration of the Commission on Audit’s 109th founding anniversary. The subject coincides with the theme for the anniversary which is "Increased Vigilance against Fraud, Waste and Abuse."
Professor Felipe de Leon of the University of the Philippines (UP) talked about the "Cultural Roots of Corruption in the Philippines". The forum was sponsored by the National Government Auditors Organization (NGAO).
The next day saw the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) Executive Director Malou Mangahas discussing the "Role of Media in Fighting Corruption" in a symposium sponsored by the Philippine Association of Corporate State Auditors (PACSA).

Ending the three-day symposia is a discussion on the "Political Dimension of Corruption" with Dr. Clarita Carlos, head of the Political Science Department of the UP, as guest speaker. The Association of Local Government Auditors of the Philippines (ALGAP) and the Legal and Adjudication Sector jointly sponsored the forum.
Chairman Reynaldo A. Villar and Commissioner Juanito G. Espino, Jr. led COA officials and auditors from the national, corporate, and local government audit sectors and the legal and adjudication sector in trekking to the PDC auditorium for the highly-informative and successful three-day symposia.

CULTURE AND CORRUPTION

Professor de Leon, an expert on humanities, ethics, music and Philippine art and culture, observed that corruption in the Philippines traces its roots in some aspects of Filipino culture. He pointed out to the lack of a sense of nationhood or feeling of being Filipino and the forces that work against our being identified as Filipinos as basic sources of corruption.

"Some Filipinos don’t feel like they are responsible for the country kasi iniisip nila hindi naman sakin yan. Most Filipinos do not feel welcome in their own country. Parang alien sa sariling bansa. They feel alienated from their own country. Having no feeling of connection, ownership or control over their country cannot instill in Filipinos a sense of responsibility or attitude of caring for their country," Mr. de Leon commented.

The UP Professor, who also teaches at the National Defense College of the Philippines and a former Commissioner of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA), further identified three major alienating factors that prevent Filipinos from feeling responsible for the country. These are alienation from the government, alienation from one’s cultural identity especially language and alienation from their genius and strengths as a people.

Mr. de Leon noted that Filipinos view government as a "hostile agent" because the "authority-centered bureaucracy goes against the very essence of participatory, egalitarian Filipino culture." He also mentioned the often complex bureaucratic system which makes processing difficult for the Filipino and prompts him to resort to bribes "para hindi siya mahirapan."

"Most if not all of our Western-derived social institutions that are based on the idea of the ‘other’ person, and who, therefore in principle, cannot be trusted are dysfunctional in Philippine society. The sooner they are replaced with ‘kapwa’- based institutions, those that can inspire Filipinos to become active participants in the development process, the faster we can get out of the situation of underdevelopment and social stagnation," he added.

Professor de Leon also took a stab at the English language saying that the language has nothing to do with development. "We have the notion that development is not possible without English. Actually it may be the biggest impediment to development in our country. Formal education should use the local language as the primary language of instruction for real learning to occur," he explained. The professor said that Filipinos’ ambition should not be on working overseas or in call centers as employees but in developing our own industries.

Mr. de Leon also said that alienation from our genius and strengths as a people resulted in an inferiority complex. He stressed that Filipinos "should have a feeling of self-worth and responsibility to their own country and promote our unique Filipino culture and identity." Lastly, as a challenge to COA, the professor encouraged COAns to deliver a genuine, unique and excellent service.

CORRUPTION AND THE MEDIA

The Media as the so-called fourth estate and watchdog of government is also part of the business in public trust. "Could we find a positive role for media in combating corruption when it is also tarnished by the stigma of corruption?" So asks Ms. Mangahas in her discussion of the role of media in fighting corruption.
The PCIJ director explained that media entities may also be compromised by the different corporate and political interests of media owners. "In the hands of the unscrupulous, press freedom becomes the freedom to sell stories, the freedom to market the news as a commodity, the freedom to turn mass media into mass mediocrity," Ms. Mangahas observed.

"Democracy does not always ensure that the press will be fair, honest, and responsible as much as it is free. So I invoke your very important roles in keeping the media much behaved according to ethical and professional standards," she added.
The renowned journalist revealed that the best stories the PCIJ produced combined best interviews with rigorous research much like the work of COA auditors and noted that the COA was among journalists’ favorite research outpost.

Ms. Mangahas went on to give suggestions or "wish list" on how to improve COA reports from the point of view of journalists as avid consumers. Among these are to make COA reports more current and complete, more standardized and to point out not only the weaknesses or failures of the system but also assign responsibility to individuals who are behind the failures.

Ms. Managahas lauded the special audits made under the value-for-money initiative of the COA. She also recommended doing comparative studies or correlate instances, for example taking a look at PDAF expenditures comparative to the expenditures of congressmen or senators.

The continuity of COA reports and other development tools such as the budget were also given special mention. Ms. Mangahas related that continuity means for journalists looking at a story backwards and forwards and finding the context and consequence. As such she asked that COA reports be made in a more accessible language.

Among the agencies and projects that the esteemed reporter indicated critical for COA scrutiny were the Office of the President, the House of Representatives, the PDAF, ODA-funded projects, AFP Modernization Act, and the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, among others.

Ms. Mangahas also encouraged auditors to continue exposing the details of irregular, excessive, extravagant, or unconscionable expenditures and uses of government funds and properties.
"Maybe we could wish in the next 109 years of COA, is that for COA, the state auditors in particular, start to strike fear in the hearts of the corrupt and the crooks, fear of the wrath of the auditor," she concluded.

POLITICAL DIMENSION OF CORRUPTION

The discussion of corruption will not be complete without assessing its political dimension. Dr. Carlos, an academician who obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Foreign Service, graduate and post-graduate degrees in political science all from the University of the Philippines, stated that corruption ‘is not doing the job right.’

In her discourse, Professor Carlos explained the relationship between the incidence of corruption and the ability to reach the good life. She said that "corruption breeds a new kind of elite which mobilizes so quickly so we forget to do hard work."
"Corruption erases altogether the time held virtues of hard work, honesty and integrity in work. Indeed, corruption makes people unable and not desiring to do things in the right way," she observed.

The professor, who pursued post-doctoral studies in political science at the Cornell University in New York and the UCLA both as a Fulbright Scholar, stressed that corruption happens because "people can." She identified a number of political factors which brings about corruption.

One is organizational complexity where crisscrossing responsibilities and accountabilities make it easy to identify gaps which provide opportunities for corruption.
Other factors are inflexible rules and rigid rules and regulations which are outdated and complicated and provide room for corruption, fraud, waste, and abuse; an imperfect legal system which provides for a very, very weak reward and sanctions mechanism so that it is not painful at all to be corrupt; and the lack of information which provides gaps for corruptible conduct.

Dr. Carlos also hypothesized that corruption happens when government enters the market due to the distortions that occur when government enters the domain of the private sector.
The author of several books on politics in the Philippines noted that the political outcomes of corruption are a weak party system, failure in governance and erosion of public trust and the consequential political alienation of people.

Professor Carlos then cited the World Bank list of five strategies in combating corruption which are to increase political accountability, participation of civil society and competition among private sector; an effective and independent Judiciary and legislative oversight which are seen as institutional restraints on power; and public sector management where audit takes a central role.

Ms. Carlos said that the World Bank recommends that "auditing is one of the hall marks of effective governance which prevent corrupt activities."
She likewise cited reports by the Transparency International such as the Global Barometer of Corruption and the Corruption Perception Index from which data she concluded that:

"First, that there is a coincidence between experts’ opinions and citizens’ perceptions. Second, that corruption hits the poor the hardest and leads to greater inequality and acts as a regressive tax to the poor and denies them basic services. Third, institutions central to the integrity and accountability of the public sector are seriously compromised and are reported to be the most corrupt."
Through out her discourse, Professor Carlos stressed the importance of championing behavior where hard work pays and the virtues of integrity and honesty are valued.

The only civilian to head the NDCP ended her discussion by posing this challenge to COA: "Can the Commission on Audit corruption proof our public sector? Can the Commission on Audit provide the proper impetus to make people do the right thing?"

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Corruption must end in order for us to succeed as a nation! We all need discipline and perseverance to prosper!