Corruption survey

Hi everyone!

I read this news item on Manila Bulletin on-line publication dated 21 August 2011, and I was completely flabbergasted by the report which stated that “lawmakers dispute over the corruption survey results”. So I said to myself, is this another sort of a political shenanigan? Could be or could be not. But I saw that the agency that conducted the survey Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project (PPTRP) has been funded by the United States Agency for International Development and the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative. Then I thought the project could be credible and legitimate. But just as well, I am displeased by how the survey was conducted.

Before proceeding to read my comments, I suggest that you check out this link on the news:

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/331515/lawmakers-dispute-corruption-survey-results

then return to my blog for some few comments I pondered on regarding the article.

I’ve limited myself to 3 points because I don´t want to indulge much on a subject that I can’t do anything about anyway. I don´t wish that my efforts be an exercise in futility, well, regrettably it is now. Anyway, here goes:

1. House Majority Leader and Mandaluyong City Representative Neptali Gonzalez (still in Congress!??!!, how many years now!) branded the survey as “misleading” and saying that the majority of the respondents do not understand how Congress works. My point: Since when had Congress made people understand what it has been doing? Has it ever explained about the “pork barrel”, that members of the government, Senators and Congressmen enjoy spending without having to justify where and how the money was spent? The Filipino people NEVER UNDERSTOOD what Congress is doing because it is ALWAYS MISLEADING people on the actual issues of the country. And a survey report that questions its “supposed” INTEGRITY is not a WELCOME form of check and balance insofar as Congress is concerned.

2. The survey had 176 respondents among them students, activists, civil servants, lawyers, journalists, accountants and professionals from major cities and provinces nationwide. It was conducted on-line from June to August. My point: The present Philippine population is a whooping 101.000.000, yes one hundred one million over!! Please see:

http://www.indexmundi.com/philippines/demographics_profile.html

Active population is over 25.000.000 million. So what is 176 respondents? It’s a measly 0.000704% of the population. Internet traffic in the Philippines is over 8.000.000 users per hour according to a March 2007 report. So how come they were only able to interview 176 respondents from the EIGHT MILLION or so internet users? And by simple deduction it also means that from the 176 respondents, there were only 25.14 respondents from each of the sectors mentioned who answered the survey while it was supposed to be nationwide! And for the 3 months period, 176??!!??

3. Neptali Gonzalez said: “I think that respondents surveyed fail to understand the role of Congress in the fight against corruption. While we can investigate, it is always in aid of legislation and while we can recommend the filing of criminal and/or administrative complaint against any official as a result of such investigation, at the end of the day, it’s the investigative and prosecutorial arm of the government that is tasked to prove it and for the judiciary to decide on it,”. My argument: Who would ever in his clear mind incriminate himself? And this is what is going on, Congress itself wouldn’t go against itself? I am not saying that all the Congressmen are corrupt, but, some of them are… and some of them are influenced… and some of them are beginning to learn the “tricks of the trade”.. so who’s talking to whom and what? What about the investigation? It’s been going on for years, and years and years and until now, and what? Has anybody been prosecuted already? Has any politician been exposed? So what is new here?.

Just a concluding issue, do the Filipinos know that the 2012 national budget of the Philippines amounts to 1.8 TRILLION PESOS, which is 10.4 percent higher that the 2011 national budget. That is a HUGE amount of money! It means the Philippines is not a “poor” country after all!. I recall what one American politician said while in a visit to the Philippines: “the Philippines is a rich country that is being made poor by its politicians”…

Please draw your own conclusions.

Magandang araw po sa inyong lahat.. Eric