“The only thing we can try to do is minimize graft and corruption but to stop them altogether would be impossible”
NO DOUBT, the anomalies uncovered last year 2025 among the Department of Public Works and Highways’ projects give us the impression the anomalies in the Philippine government are so ordinary and widespread the Philippine government is one entity where anomalies are ordinary.
The anomalies as recorded in the investigations and findings in the DPWH are so extensive and widespread one would think indeed the Philippine government can no longer be able to restrain and correct rampant corruption in the government and make the people trust the government.
Indeed, Santa Banana, anomalies even in the smallest government agencies, are so normal it seems impossible to correct anomalies in government.
It is the people’s money being stolen by culprits in government because when the National Budget for the year comes out, it is the people’s money that is at stake.
During my term as a younger journalist, smuggling at the Bureau of Customs was the biggest corruption in the government.
There was this case where a security guard in the BOC was driving a luxury sports car.
This anomaly was so big at that time that it needed the Department of Finance to investigate from top to bottom.
If you look at the anatomy of corruption in government, you will find out the cycle of anomalies starts from the time when elections occur in government.
Those running for public office spend so much for elections, like a mayor of a municipality or a governor or congressman of a district.
I used to wonder why so many people wanted to be a mayor or governor, or even just a councilor of a municipality. Then I found out that corruption starts from the moment one is elected to office.
Why? The reason for it is that an elected official spends so much during election time that he has to recover his expenses one way or another.
That is why, a mayor or a governor or congressman has to recover his expenses through many ways.
An example is to have a kickback when a company is given an award for collection of garbage.
Another one is to have a kickback in some way or another in the construction of almost anything. It is so easy to get kickbacks from any government project.
Even in private business you will find out in the budget of big private businesses corruption goes under so many names.
A big amount is set aside for the benefit of public officials.
The kickbacks that private businesses give to public officials go under many names, like Public Relations Expenses.
The budgets of projects are over-allocated to enable the private companies to be able to bribe people in government.
The cycle of corruption goes on when public officials have to recoup their expenses. In many ways, we the people are to be blamed, because we expect so much from public officials who have no other way but to commit graft and corruption.
I believe that for so long as we have elections we will have to accept rampant anomalies. I know this because long ago when I started as a journalist, I used to visit a good friend of mine who became a congressman and I always saw a long line of people waiting to see him.
When I asked him what all the people wanted, he smiled and told me these are his constituents waiting for help one way or another, either in cash or through other means.
To my mind, as long as we have elections we can expect a cycle of corruption to run in the government.
Of course when corruption gets so pervasive and rampant like how the corruption in public works projects went, it was so rampant that even contractors could afford to display their ostentatious wealth.
The public even admired them. That is how it is in the government. Column space prevents me from explaining in detail how government corruption exists. I’ll talk about it in another column.
I do not expect graft and corruption in government, big or small, to end because of the election system.
The alternative course is dictatorship, but it will be even worse.
So unless we have in government angels and saints we can expect graft and corruption.
The only thing we can try to do is minimize them, but to stop them altogether would be impossible.
