A long way to go

According to the latest Corruption Perception Index of the Berlin-based organization Transparency International, the Philippines improved slightly in terms of getting rid of public sector graft and corruption.

But it's not by much; in fact it’s practically pitiful. From 116th place out of 180 countries we are now 115th after scoring 34 out of 100 in the index, with the worldwide average being 43.

The list was topped by Denmark with a score of 90; Finland, 87; New Zealand, 85; Norway, 84; Singapore, 83; Sweden, 82; Switzerland, 82; the Netherlands, 79; Germany, 78; and Luxembourg, 78. The bottom by South Sudan, Yemen, North Korea, Nicaragua, Haiti, Equatorial Guinea, Turkmenistan, and Libya.

Actually, we don’t need a foreign organization to tell us how bad corruption is here in the Philippines, all of us at one point or another has had to deal with this when transacting with government offices.

It’s true that the government actually functions and gets things done and that technology has improved transactions, but still there are those offices, officials, and functionaries that require a little grease money just to get things going.

But that’s just the small fries. Some offices have been known to favor some companies or others when it comes to providing items or services. Other offices and officials misuse taxpayers’ money for their own gain. Still others put friends and family in positions of power, or protect those who are accused of abusing their position.

Needless to say we still have a long way when it comes to getting rid of graft and corruption. This is sadly because it has become so ingrained in our culture.

Take for example how many voters expect to receive money from candidates during each election whether barangay, local, or national. Don’t get us wrong, this isn’t a form of graft or corruption on the side of the people. However, it seems to normalize the belief that money has to change hands for a simple democratic process --in fact a constitutionally-guaranteed right-- to happen.

It’s “traditions” like these that lead some officials to demand money from people in exchange for some service to be provided, and lead people to conclude that this is the normal way of doing business.

Values like these cannot be changed overnight. Like we said, we still have a long way to go.