EDITORIAL - A small step in the right direction

Earlier this year there was an investigative report about the affluent lifestyles of certain officials of the Bureau of Internal Revenue. Most people weren’t surprised; the nation is replete with stories of corruption in the government’s main revenue-generating arm, and the BIR consistently ranks high in any survey or study of the most corrupt government agencies.

Over the weekend BIR Commissioner Guillermo Parayno reported that 127 BIR employees were under investigation for offenses ranging from misconduct to graft and corruption. It is not known if the officials named in the earlier investigative report are among the 127; the list has not been made public. But the report of an ongoing probe at the BIR is encouraging news.

To be sure, 127 is just a drop in the bucket. But it could be a start, and could serve as an example in a bureaucracy that has long been plagued with corruption and incompetence. President Arroyo commended the BIR for the ongoing investigation, even as she sought outside help in her administration’s battle against graft.

Seeking assistance in "institutional capacity-building" from the Asian Development Bank, the President acknowledged the need of developing countries such as the Philippines for greater transparency and better governance, as well as a stronger civil society that can help reduce corruption.

Every Philippine president has made noises about stamping out graft. Little progress has been made, although one former president is being held without bail for the capital offense of plunder. Prosecuting an ousted president, however, could prove so much easier than rooting out the culture that has bred corruption in the Philippine bureaucracy since the Spanish colonial era.

Thanks to technology and improved management systems, the go-vernment has made progress in cutting red tape and reducing opportunities for graft. The bigger cases of corruption, however, persist in the form of fat commissions for every major go-vernment project. Addressing this problem will require innovative legislation and a sea change in the way Filipinos regard public service. In the meantime, BIR officials are trying to do their part by weeding out the corrupt in the bureau. This small step in the right direction must be sustained and should be given all the support it needs.