Building a vision that lasts

P-Noy’s war against corruption is now being bolstered by his administration’s filing plunder and graft cases against three senators – Enrile, Estrada, Revilla – several lawmakers, and Janet Lim Napoles. This is now leading to further investor confidence in the country’s economy.

After Marcos transformed the Philippines from being the second richest nation in Asia, next only to Japan, to being the sick man of Asia, the principal complaint of investor was the lack of good governance  due to widespread government corruption at the highest levels especially in the past two administrations.

Under the leadership of Corazon Aquino, the country toppled the Marcos dictatorship and restored democracy.  Unfortunately, she had to contend with several coup attempts including the ones led by Gringo Honasan. But during her presidency,  the country rebuilt its democratic institutions and returned to the rule of law.

However, succeeding governments failed to introduce good governance to the country. Erap Estrada was forced to resign and was convicted for plunder. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is now under detention facing trial for plunder. The present pork barrel scandals mostly happened under GMA’s administration.

But P-Noy’s Daang Matuwid is gaining international recognition. Just a week ago, The Wall Street Journal said: “ Still the Philippines’ continuing fight against corruption points to the gains that other emerging economies might achieve if they tackle their own problems, whether they be nationalist protectionist policies in Indonesia or a growing dependence on populist subsidies in Thailand.”

While he was campaigning for president, P-Noy  laid out his economic game plan, which later became the Philippine Development Plan. One of its main feature is the identification of the four major bottlenecks that have historically been the obstacles to Philippine economic prosperity. One of the four was systemic corruption in all branches of government.

At the start of the Aquino government in 2010, the World Bank estimated that the cost of corruption was as high as 40% of the government’s annual budget. At that time, I thought the estimate might be a little too high. However, after listening to the Napoles whistleblowers, perhaps 40% is too low. Some of the whistleblowers did say that only 15% to 20% of the pork barrel funds went to actual projects. The rest were distributed to the implementing agencies, the lawmakers and their chiefs of staff.

Even though the loudest outrage against corruption is from the middle and upper classes, it is the poor that corruption hurts the most  by diverting funds meant for development, undermines a government’s ability to provide basic services, results in greater inequality and injustice, and discourages foreign aid and investment.

The Daang Matuwid has focused on cleansing the executive agencies like the perennial corrupt agencies DOTC, DPWH, BIR and Customs. The filing of charging against the HERMES group in the Senate and other lawmakers is a clear sign that the anti corruption drive is also happening in the Legislative branch.

 HERMES is a term coined by the public representing the initials of the family names of six senators allegedly implicated in the PDAF scandal. These are Honasa, Enrile, Revilla, Marcos, Estrada, Sotto.

Filing of charges is not enough for convictions. This requires action by the Judiciary. I have given several examples in the past that seems to indicate very little cooperation from a judiciary that is perceived to be an obstacle rather than an institution dedicated to institutionalizing the rule of law.

I have cited several examples of the slow pace of justice such as the ongoing trials in the  following cases: Ampatuan Massacre, the Fertilizer Fund scam, Phoenix Petroleum anti-smuggling case, and the plunder case against Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

However, a recent speech by Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno at the Philippine Bar Association has given us some hope. In her speech she encouraged lawyers to expose cases of bribery and extortion involving “hoodlums in robes.” Sereno has asked for help for lawyers to help fight corruption in the judiciary.

I would suggest to the Chief Justice that she should not confine her request for help from lawyers but include the nation, especially those who have been the victims of those “hoods in robes.”

May I further suggest to her that she can start by introducing transparency to the judiciary. Begin with the Office of the Court Administrator under this Jose Midas Marquez who is charged with Investigating administrative cases filed against judges.

Everyone in the country is expectedly subject to public exposure once charges are filed against them. But it seems that the Judiciary is the only exemption to this rule. There are reportedly more than 180 cases filed in the Office of the Court Administrator and according to a lawyer that when these cases are filed in the office Midas Marquez, like the old song goes “ they just lie there and they die there.”

But there are many signs that we are seeing a brighter future especially for the next generation. The 2013 – 2014 Global Competitiveness Report of the World Economic Forum shows that the Philippines has dramatically improved from 85th place, when P-Noy took over, to 59th  out of 148 countries,  in just three years. More significantly, for the first time , corruption is not the top concern anymore affecting the country’s competitiveness.

If  this government and succeeding administrations build on the recent progress under P-Noy and remain focused on economic growth and increasing the living standards of the population, a recent HSBC report forecasting the world’s top 50 economies in 2050, places the Philippines as the 16th largest economy in the world and the largest in the ASEAN.

This is a vision that can be achieved if we, as a people, ensure that that we will continue to have what we now have — a highly moral leadership at the highest level of government and the active support of an outraged public that will demand that its leaders — in all branches of government — live up to the highest level of moral standards.

Daang Matuwid can and must be built.

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