Good government eliminates corruption
BEYOND those who have been advised to “moderate your greed,” there are some who trace the beginnings of their corrupt practices to the demands of their constituencies for their living, educational, health, and emergency needs. If government provides for these needs, we can assume that the pressure on the elected public officials to dip into the public coffers to satisfy the electorate’s demands is lessened or disappears.
If there is full employment and no underemployment in the Philippine economy, we will not see citizens lining up at the house gates of politicians asking for help in getting jobs or pleading for money to cover their living expenses. All Filipinos who are willing to work will get employed if government does its job – making sure that there is a match between the education and technical skills of potential workers with the requirements of industry, business, and other employers; the cost of doing business is comparable if not competitive with that of other ASEAN nations; information is provided to the jobseekers (kudos to the DOLE website) on job openings; business and industry operations are facilitated by a competent and caring bureaucracy; and there is necessary logistical infrastructure for efficient and effective movement of goods and services.
With health and social security systems that approach full coverage, there is no need for the citizens to crowd the offices of elected officials asking for an endorsement to a government health facility or for funds to pay private hospitals as the government facility has turned them away. Government should ensure the provision of health centers, town or city hospitals, provincial hospitals and regional hospitals to meet all the health needs of the community. If government is able to provide proper information and education to the population on good health practices, there will be less pressure on the health facilities. Adequate equipment and personnel with appropriate capacity should be the norm in all hospitals with only the regional and national hospitals (Philippine General Hospital, Lung Center, Kidney Center, Heart Center, etc.) having specialized equipment and personnel. A voucher system could be instituted so that the citizen can chose the medical facility to avail of in the process supporting well run private hospitals.
Government must make the difficult but necessary decision to close down substandard government educational institutions as it also through CHED and DepEd should stop private universities and colleges that are not able to meet the accreditation standards. I recall during the Marcos years, the Technical Panel for Agricultural Education through establishing minimum standards for agricultural colleges was able to prevent the creation of new ones (every high school principal aspires to be a college dean and a college dean wants to be a university president with the local politicians catering to their desires) but was not able to close a single one, due to political reasons. The projected voucher system as a way of helping ease the difficulties in the adoption of K to 12 may be extended to the whole educational system, resulting in an improved education system and better qualified graduates. The government in collaboration with the banking system could establish a “Study now, Pay later” program with the government guaranteeing the student loans. We would have more dedicated and serious students knowing that they will have to pay for their education later.
Corruption will go away if government adheres fully to Section 9 of the Declaration of Principles and State Policies of the Philippine Constitution, “The State shall promote a just and dynamic social order that will ensure the prosperity and independence of the nation and free the people from poverty through policies that provide adequate social services, promote full employment, a rising standard of living and an improved quality of life for all.”