“I will cut back if not eliminate the problems of graft and corruption”
Do you ever wonder why when these candidates are asked the question regarding what they intend to do about the problems of graft and corruption; they seem to respond vaguely on the topic? The truth is they have no idea where to start let alone have the sincerity to resolve it.
Why can’t they provide some solid examples of what they intend to do. Something that starts with “number one, I will……"
Today, I firmly believe that every Filipino, regardless of sex, religion, financial status and educational strata knows that corruption is popular in all government branches. That corruption directly resembles a disease – highly contagious that even modern medicine or legislation narrowly responds to its tenacity. Taking singular type of medicine might not be adequate to resolve it, the President being the most commanding individual in the nation has to begin and formulate multiple types of medicines (solution) and direct them simultaneously to bring about an end to this problem. I think the initial part is admission, admitting that we have an extensive corruption predicament – since we can’t resolve any crisis, exclusive of recognizing that we have it. This is analogous to the Philippines admittance to a hospital for treatment.
I doubt if these three awfully powerful drugs won’t cure it: I challenge whoever sits as next President if he is truly brave, sincere and decent enough to prescribe the below to our nation:
Rx Doctor’s Prescription:
Alter the political dynamics (A very potent intravenous antibiotic drug)
Just a thought, why can’t Congress legislate rules relevant to the eligibility of candidates desiring to run for public offices and make it applicable for all future candidates in different levels such as: The Executive, Legislative and covering even local positions such as Governors and town Mayors and include a strict selection criterions as follows:
1. That they have strictly satisfied the requirements of the Law, regarding eligibility on citizenship, age limit, etc and subsequent omnibus election codes.
2. That they be subjected to a thorough academic (knowledge of Philippine Laws) theory test along with other aptitude measurement test and only those who meet the criteria shall be fitting to take the below.
3. Subject them to a meticulous personal background checks and audit analysis confirming all their accumulated wealth, properties, stocks, etc. That they must be constrained under Law to sign a compulsory commitment not to do any business with the government nor the private sectors, own equities or buy stocks and properties, etc. , while in the influence of their public office. To have all their financial records open for monthly inspection by the government and make it available for publication.
4. That their immediate family units, close ties, close links, known acquaintances must not also deal business with the government directly or indirectly while seated in the public office.
Caveat: As I am sure only the sincere few will acquire the interest and carry on to run for public position let alone survive these strict benchmarks, we can be confident that only those with highest of integrity, honesty and personal merits will seat in public offices. This would also represent that the revised law shall take in its terms that the government shall finance all expenses of these few good men or women in the operation and running of their campaign. After their term, the country can then show utmost gratitude by paying them and their immediate family the same compensation parallel to what they use to receive when they were in the position for as long as they live.
Check and re-examine all national and local tax revenues (A very potent anti-viral antibiotics)
Require all national and local government tax collection offices for re-declaration of taxes collected, affirm who are the individuals who made such assessments. Simultaneously, engage credible public auditing firms to re-do all these assessments, meaning they have to repeat every stage. Given that it would mean duplication of work that were previously carried out by government employees, that it might prove to be very costly as well as involve huge amount of labor; the result will bear out to be hugely beneficial for the future and in the long term. (Example: A house built in Makati is currently paying a yearly property tax of P10,000 based on its current government assessment, while in fact, the correct tax due should be P20,000. Similar tax related inaccuracies do exist thus, rendering a sizeable fiscal balance sheet of our government almost unachievable. Such reduction can be made easily by any dishonest government assessor who in time of the assessment received a bribe from the building owner to reduce the tax due). I am sure thousands of similar taxes related matters can be re-assessed by public auditing companies in order to have a credible, honest, efficient and effective tax declarations moreover collections by the government while all together curving significantly the corrupt government employees. This process will also confine our government personnel within parameters of honesty since if their tax assessments versus audit form’s assessments don’t match, it might mean losing their jobs and worst ending up in jail for fraud charges.
Transparency and Government’s duty to Declare: (A potent lifetime maintenance tablet prescription)
The government has a moral obligation for transparency to its citizens and it should include the announcement of tax collections made by the government. Why can’t they make our country’s balance sheet available to the public, indicate how much taxes are collected, what has been paid and what needs to be paid. It is an honest governments' obligation to inform the public where their taxes went. In this case, I suppose it is fair that people must insist that all taxes collected by the government must be declared either on TV or newspaper for public information on a regular basis. I also question if our national government is ever dreaming of employing a consolidated tax collection system that would generate reports of how much taxes are collected every day, systems similar to modern banks where in spite of having hundreds of branches in different places, ATM machines scattered to multitudes of spaces, POS terminals at different stores and locations, still at the end of every business day, they come up with figures that sustain their operation and continuity.
Dear Honorable Candidates:
I believe there is a better way I could have explained the things above, but I just don’t have the law-making expertise that some of you possess. I am merely an ordinary citizen wishing to convey a bit of what I imagine might help to solve the issue of corruption in our country. As for the rest, I will leave it to your imagination and opinion. I challenge you to be truthful, be coherent with your plans and be decent with your aim - for our country’s sake. If you can’t even answer the simple question above relating to your plans on how you intend to fight graft and corruption, I will be extremely surprised if you would survive the first intravenous antibiotic drug prescribed above.
