Eye Opener
Corruption in the country
About 80 million Filipinos here and abroad are saddened by the recent news tagging the country as the No.1 corrupt nation in Asia today. The tag came from the PERC Survey, a foreign-based organization which put the Philippines to No.7 spot as most corrupt nation in the world.
Millions of Filipinos in America, Europe and Asia, who are working honestly to have their loved ones back home eat three square meals daily and have comfortable life, are saddened as they may be branded as crooks or thieves or whatever connotation foreigners may give to the Filipinos.
Why is this so? People of the world know that the Philippines is the only Christian nation in Asia and yet the No. 1 corrupt nation? Some of Christian values are honesty, fear of God, integrity, morality, patriotism, industriousness and thrift. Our hardworking brothers and sisters abroad may no doubt be tagged as "thief" or "crook" as they come from a nation in Asia tagged as No.1 thief. But it is hoped that our Pinoy citizens should not be called as such as the professional crooks and thieves are here in the government and are giving bad and embarrassing name to Filipinos abroad!
Constancia de Guzman, Chairperson of the Presidential Anti-graft Commission in the Philippines government disputed the survey of PERC. She alleged that GMA Administration has filed cases against dishonest officials and employees in the government and lately a GSIS top official had pending cases with her commission and with the Ombudsman.
The five most corrupt government offices according to the Ombudsman are Customs, BIR, DPWH, DepEd and Agriculture. If forso many decades these corrupt government offices had stolen billions of pesos from the people, why not get rid of them as they only give bad image to the Philippines and the people. What is the Congress doing? Why is Congress continue to approve their budget when in fact and in truth, these offices have to be sacked and their function given to a free-corrupt offices. If Congress or the President is not doing any constructed move to get rid of these corrupt government offices, people may suspect that they are part of the snafu!
Filipinos abroad and those visiting foreign countries are ashamed to be identified as coming to a corrupt nation. Why pave the values of officials and employees distorted when many of them are religious and believe in God? If they love God and follow the commandment of the Almighty that "thou shall not steal", then they should not touch the government funds as the socio- economic development of the country is affected as millions of pesos are in the pockets and bank accounts of the crooks and thieves. Remember, that God is all-knowing, all-powerful and all-present. He sees you when you steal the peoples' money and ransack the government coffers. The Ombudsman and the Anti-Graft Commission should expedite cases pending in their respective offices as the government crooks and thieves are increasing their number and our inept officials are doing nothing to minimize if not completely eradicate graft and corruption in the Philippines government.