How do you shame the shameless?

Corruption is the abuse of office for personal gain, and it takes many forms. Corruption is not only about bribes; it is also about misuse of official position. powerful people in government are often the ones making shady deals, and taxpayers are left holding the bag because corrupt officials know how to cover their tracks. the people, especially the poor, suffer when resources are wasted.

From the World Justice Project: “The Covid-19 pandemic gives rise to very significant risks of corruption. Massive resources mobilized to respond to the health and economic crises create opportunities for corruption, while many corruption prevention and enforcement mechanisms are suspended due to the emergency. This corruption risk is a rule of law problem in itself. It also compromises the pandemic response, undermining much-needed trust in public institutions, squandering supplies and resources, and impeding their flow to those in need.”

UN Secretary General António Guterres: “Corruption is criminal, immoral and the ultimate betrayal of public trust. It is even more damaging in times of crisis—as the world is experiencing now with the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Senate Minority Leader Frank Drilon maintained on Wednesday (August 25) the transfer of P42 billion in pandemic response funds of the Department of Health to the Department of Budget and Management-procurement Service violated the procurement law, indicating those involved could be haled before the graft court (See, P42-B fund transfer from DOH to DBM illegal, insists Drilon, in the Businessmirror , August 25, 2021). Drilon, a former Justice Secretary, said the DOH action violated existing implementing rules and regulations and the Procurement Law when the P42-billion fund was transferred to DBM-PS. He noted the irregularity stems from the absence of a MOA required for documentary tracing in disbursing the P42-billion fund, the same basis for COA flagging this among DOH’S “deficiencies” in fund management in 2020.

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go on Friday advised Health Secretary Francisco Duque III to resign. Go made the statement during the resumption of the Senate hearing on the report of the Commission on Audit on the DOH deficiencies in handling Covid-19 response funds worth over P67 billion. “My word of advice is, make the supreme sacrifice when the right time comes. For now, we have a Blue Ribbon Committee hearing…clear yourself and address COA’S findings,” Go told Duque, who was attending the hearing online.

The Health chief said he will resign once the DOH issues related to the COA audit report are cleared. “Mr. Chairman, with all due respect, I have been attending both the hearings in Congress and Senate Blue Ribbon Committee with one goal in mind and that is for me and the DOH to clear this COA observations and findings of deficiencies. We want to clear everything,” Duque said.

The Health chief may believe there’s nothing wrong in the wholesale transfer by DOH of P42 billion to DBM-PS, and we don’t know how the Senate probe will end. But, as one netizen said, “the people are not that stupid.” With the Senate hearing being aired live on TV and being followed on social media, can we blame netizens who conclude that the DOH gave the DBM-PS billions to squander in the procurement of overpriced face masks, test kits, personal protective equipment and other medical supplies amid the pandemic?

It’s only in the Philippines where you can find big manufacturers being disqualified to participate in government’s procurement of medical supply, in favor of newly formed, “zero income” companies being given billions worth of government contracts. What makes us the laughing stock of the world is the fact that the companies that cornered billions in government contracts have “fake addresses” in their registration documents. And the Senate “cannot find their CEO, treasurer, and president in their address stated in official documents.”

Corruption is a cancer in any society. The Philippines will surely go to the dogs if we do nothing against people in government who continue to remain unaccountable for the wastage of public money. Unfortunately for us, these people do not know the meaning of honesty, decency, integrity, sincerity and trustworthiness. That’s because corrupt people in government are shameless. It’s difficult to catch them red-handed, but we must find a way to end their impunity.