Sun.Star Pampanga

Corruption to the core

-

NO MATTER how hard President Rodrigo Roa Duterte rails against corruption, corruption is unst oppabl e.

Caught in the eye of the President is the Department of Public Works and Highways, headed by his favorite Cabinet Secretary Mark Villar who belongs to the influentia­l Villar family who is close to the sitting president because of its massive financial support during the campaign of 2016.

True enough, Mark Villar is a sacred cow in the Duterte cabinet.

National broadsheet­s of October 16, 2020 reported on the President's pet peeve, corruption, which, including illegal drugs and criminalit­y all add up to his discredit.

The President thus proclaimed the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is ridden with corruption and no constructi­on work began without money changing hands.

He adds: projects, project engineers, all of that; the road right of way, the corruption there is grave. No constructi­on begins without a transactio­n (meaning, money).

The President knows the extent of the corruption and those involved.

Which reminds me of a quote by some government officials: Di kami humihingi, pero di naman kami tumatanggi.

The entire government

bureaucrac­yistainted­with

corruption: from the LTO, Bureaus of Customs and Internal Revenue to the DILG and DSWD. Everywhere, where there are big lump sum allocation­s like the SAP.

Followingu­p of papers in government offices is hard and confusing, ignoring Duterte\ s admonition that the public should not be kept waiting in queue for so l ong.

Each government office is in the action. Department heads have a "quota" to fill up for their superiors, otherwise, they fear of demotion or lateral transfers to hellish positions or places of assignment. Even the Civil Service Commission is not spared in the battle for commission­s. Ha ha.

*****

Churches, religious congregati­ons and associatio­ns are aware of the lagayan!

A document will not move unless there is padulas or grease money. Such is the sorry state of the bureaucrac­y and President Duterte knows it fully well. Sus.

 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Philippines