Fighting corruption gradually
While fighting corruption by the government in a large, systematic way is commendable, the private sector’s contribution in a smaller, gradual way is equally important.
This has been shown at the Department of Agriculture (DA). It should be replicated in other areas.
Prior to the assumption into office of Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., three independent studies documented that approximately one-third of the DA budget had been lost to corruption and waste.
The first is the Commission on Audit report that showed that 30 percent of expenses were not liquidated for three consecutive years. The second and third studies showed the same pattern. They were done by then DA Secretary William Dar and the public-private Philippine Council of Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF).
Private sector
Last week, a DA undersecretary agreed to favorably consider a recommendation from a private sector leader who had firsthand knowledge of corruption in his region.
This leader said that rigged bidding for DA projects was happening there. He had heard it was being done in some other regions.
There were two features that made this corruption possible.
The first is that the DA regional executive director (RED) practically chose the bidders. The second is that the time between the bidding announcement and the bidding itself was too short. Consequently, the rigged bidding resulted in the beneficiaries not getting what they should, the winning bidder getting huge undeserved profits, and the RED laughing all the way to the bank.
Aside from this, one reported instance was that the RED told one bidder not to join, therefore limiting the bidders. Another was that the RED asked a winning bidder to donate a Rolex watch to him. The price of a midrange Rolex is P592,000 to P1.129 million.
It was reported that some REDs, when transferred to other regions, used their same favored bidders in their new assignments. However, other REDs do outstanding jobs.
This leader recommended a simple two-part solution: (1) The RED should furnish a list of all qualified bidders for a certain project to the elected private sector chair of the Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Council (RAFC).
This should be taken from the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System to help ensure the bidders are qualified.
(2) The RED should furnish the specific details and schedule of the bidding to the RAFC chair at least 20 days before the opening of the bids. This way, the chair “will have enough time to invite other qualified bidders” not under the influence of the RED. These two new requirements will largely put an end to rigged bidding.
Responsibility
Examples of what is happening in the regions are often not known to the DA head office in Metro Manila.
The private sector must therefore exercise responsibility and provide these details as they contribute gradually, and significantly, to the fight against corruption.
Sometimes, lower-level employees, fearing retaliation from their superiors, report corruption cases to private sector leaders. They hope that their reports will reach higher management through these leaders. They must not be disappointed.
Of course, all this would be useless if the agency head ignores these private sector contributions. This may have been the case with the anomalous flood control projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways.
The DA is the exact opposite. Officials like the DA Secretary and Regional Operations Undersecretary Roger Navarro have always acted positively and immediately to contributions from the private sector.
A clear case of the DA decisive action is described here.
When a private sector leader recommended a required checklist before releasing the DA grants, which had reached a corrupt and wasteful nonutilization and underutilization 30 percent rate, it was quickly implemented.
Partly because of the failure to use this grant checklist, three REDs have already been taken out of their jobs.
Edwin Burke’s idea has been paraphrased thus: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
The triumph of massive corruption today is because the good men and women in both the private sector and the government have not done enough to stop it.
The private sector must now proactively work with the good forces in government to fight corruption gradually—project by project, day by day, one at a time.
Only then will good triumph over the evil of corruption.
The author is Agriwatch chair, former secretary of presidential flagship programs and projects, and former undersecretary of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Trade and Industry. Contact is agriwatch_phil@yahoo.com
