Manpower cost:  LGUs’ most anomalous transaction

Driven by greed and lust for power, another mutiny was staged last Thursday, November 29, in the guise of heroism.  Rhetoric, as usual, points to the Arroyo government’s bolder and blatant ways of corrupting our people.  

What else is new?  Since time immemorial, regardless of who is in power or who sits in Malacañang, accusations of graft and corruption abound. The ZTE deal was just the latest and boldest as it almost cost us a long and established relation with a powerhouse nation-China. 

Reasons for all coups and mutinies have always been the same, the nationally perpetrated graft and corruption.  Obviously, this is a very convenient launching pad as it is directly associated with the president. 

Apparently, all these years, we’ve been so focused on nationally funded infrastructure-related anomalies. As if anomalies occur when big projects are undertaken or when huge purchases are made.  Just a bit short of saying, when there are no projects-there are no anomalies. 

Let us pause for a moment.  As we persistently bark at the people in Malacañang, why not visit our provincial capitols or our city, municipal and barangay halls.  They might look too little compared to the palace but definitely not negligible.  We need not even venture on looking at their books nor participate in their procurement processes.  Rigged it maybe, we still have to prove it.  Just look at the aisles, rooms, canteens and some coffee shops nearby and we’ll become witnesses of one of the most anomalous transactions of the LGUs, the unnecessary employees.  Worst, while we see and hear them so engrossed discussing Pinoy Big Brother House latest evictees, others are simply missing or unaccounted.  Physically unaccounted they maybe, their timecards are punched punctually in the morning and worst, punched out late and have claimed overtime pays.

This is no plain rumor or intrigue.  The fact is, in 2006 alone, the consolidated statement of cash flows of the LGUs showed total cash out of P242.01 billion.  Of this amount, P201.83 billion (83.40%) went to operating activities, P33.71 billion (13.93%) went to investing activities, while P6.46 billion (2.67%) went to financing activities. 

Of the P201.83 billion spent for operating activities, payments to employees’ salaries and wages was the second largest as it amounted to P70.549 billion or roughly 35%.  Payments made to suppliers were just a little way up at P72.475 billion.

As we look into this salary, same cash flow statement revealed that only P32.8 billion went to the purchase of property, plant and equipment and public infrastructures.  This startling fact connotes that projects that will promote economic activities, health and education like farm-to-market roads, public toilets, public markets and school buildings are not prioritized. 

This upsetting reality shows us how LGU executives have turned capitols, city and municipal halls into FAMILY HALLS.  Reportedly, aside from their relatives and supporters, their helpers, farm workers and even paramours are in the LGUs’ payroll.  

Sadly, corruption is embedded in our political system that it has even run deep into the very core of the Sangguniang Kabataan.  It is about time that LGU executives should be reminded that the local government code was passed not for them to have a territory so they may have their own treasury.  As snail-paced the national government’s reaction then, it was intended to address the ills of bureaucracy. 

Hopefully, they will soon find it appropriate to shape up before someone in their own locality will demand for changes, the Trillanes’ way.

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