"He is doing his best, but it is not enough."
"He is doing his best, but it is not enough."
When then Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte ran for President in 2016, he vowed to end criminality, illegal drugs and corruption. These wars resonated with the people. He won.
Duterte even vowed to end the illegal drugs menace within three months. But this war became so intense that it bred a culture of impunity among the police. Extra-judicial killings resulted from this.
The United Nations became so alarmed at the rate of killings that the Duterte administration was accused of violation of human rights. Critics of Duterte even filed cases against the Duterte administration before the International Criminal Court.
When the COVID-19 pandemic came, police killings of people involved in illegal drugs continued, with the police saying that the illegal drug problem is a continuing menace.
The other war, against government corruption, also failed. We can only recall billions of pesos worth of illegal drugs being smuggled through Customs. It seemed, however, that Duterte merely wanted to recycle the officials he had initially sacked.
There were probes, but nobody was prosecuted, much less convicted.
Recall also the pastillas scandal involving the Bureau of Immigration. The issue regarding retirees from mainland China. The multi-billion peso scandal involving PhilHealth.
There have been many issues, but nobody has gone to jail. I wonder why.
I’ve been a journalist for over 70 years now, and government corruption was also the bane of past administrations. The reason is simple: For so long as human discretion and intervention are involved in government transactions, we can always expect graft and corruption, especially when it comes to government contracts and public biddings.
There were many attempts to curb corruption at the Bureau of Customs, for instance. The government once had a contract with Societe Generale de Surveillance to stop smuggling. It worked — until Customs people started complaining about it. Many politicians joined the protests against SGS for obvious reasons. The contract was rescinded.
There were also talks about privatizing Customs, but this has not pushed through. Customs continues to be perceived as the most corrupt agency in the government.
Ending graft and corruption in government is a futile exercise. I remember during the time of President Ramon Magsaysay, some 400 young cadets from the Philippine Military Academy were assigned to the bureau. Within three months, the idealistic cadets were themselves corrupted.
That’s how it is in the fight against corruption.
At the time, I had a relative from the province who wanted a job. When I asked where he wanted to work, he said either the Customs or the Bureau of Internal Revenue. He said he was qualified because he was a lawyer. When I asked him why Customs and BIR. He answered with a smile: “I have been informed that it’s where people make a lot of money.”
I never helped that relative.
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Of course, the war on illegal drugs is another failure.
This problem will continue even after Duterte steps down.
The President is doing his best, I see that. But he must listen to good advice.
