The Magician - Transparency International
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Surprise! Surprise! The Philippines is one of nine countries in the world most affected by petty bribery. This is according to the Report on the Transparency International (TI) Global Corruption Barometer 2007, released this week.

What is petty bribery?
Petty bribery is the “extra” money you take out of your own pocket to pay authorities in public service agencies. The report said that in the past year, about 1 in 10 people around the world had to pay a bribe to the so-called public servants in the police, judiciary courts, legal system, education, medical services, tax authorities, registry and permit services. Most of us in the Philippines already know this. So what’s new?

The Not-So-Good News
This year’s report was based on interviews with 63,199 people in 60 countries conducted between June and September 2007. And it confirms something we’ve always known - that those in the low and middle income brackets are hit the hardest by petty bribery. The reason is fairly obvious - those in the high income bracket don’t have to pay any bribes to public service agencies because they usually have the right connections in high places. In other words, the rich have “contacts” in public service agencies and so they don’t have to pay extra to get things going. They even get special treatment most of the time. But those who belong to the poor or middle class need to bribe authorities to get the public service they rightfully deserve. Bottomline, our right to have equal access to government services are trampled on by the “palakasan” and “lagayan” systems.

And here’s the worst part - Cases of petty bribery in the Asia Pacific and South East Europe regions are on the rise. And as the number of extortions increase, small amounts get bigger and petty thieves become hardened criminals. And as the Latin saying goes, De parvis grandis a cervus erit - Small things will make a large pile.

Gloom Meets Doom
And if that’s not bad enough, we receive more depressing findings from the report:
1) The police is the public institution most affected by petty bribery (One in every four citizens around the world who had contact with the police was asked to pay a bribe). Also, the police stood out as significantly more affected by corruption than other institutions and service sectors.
2) The judiciary is the second-most affected by bribery.
3) Political parties and the legislative branch (Congress and Senate) are perceived by people around the world to be the institutions most tainted by corruption.

Hang on! Something’s not right. The lawmakers and the law enforcers are perceived as the most corrupt by the people. What an outrage! The public servants who are meant to serve the law above all, are the ones who are actually breaking the laws. Somehow, they are perceived to be above the law. They are corrupt and yet they seem to be getting away with it. Why? Maybe because they are in power. Maybe because the law will always be on their side. Maybe because those who go against them know that nothing will happen. And even if something happens, if they get convicted in the lower courts, their power or their money will get them a favorable appeal in the higher courts and if that doesn’t work, they can always negotiate for a presidential pardon. And so the average Juan dela Cruz can’t help but just watch in contempt as his so-called public servant comes out of his luxurious mansions, riding in his nice 8-cylinder SUV with a 4-car escort.

So now we’re trapped in this vicious circle. We know that the lower and middle classes are the ones most affected by bribery and corruption. And the people who can help fight bribery and corruption are benefitting from the system so they don’t have enough incentive to change it. It’s the perfect recipe for distrust between the rulers and the ruled. And when this happens, any good initiative by the government will be seen as another corrupt project. Even the ones that have the potential to serve the poor will be shot dead even before it is implemented.

Ang Lagay Eh
Sad to say, ito po ang lagay ng ating bayan (This is the state of our nation). As President Arroyo quoted in one of her speeches, public service is a public trust. But when the trust is gone, the people have no choice but to take it to the streets. I hope that someday the people will learn to trust in the government again, whether it be during this administration or the next one. One thing’s for sure, the government has to earn the people’s trust back.

Anti-Corruption Day 2007
The release of this report marks the worldwide celebration of Anti-Corruption Day this Sunday, December 9th. I wonder which group will lead the mass action against corruption in the Philippines. I wonder which group will lead the protest in the streets (or in 5-star hotels).

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