Axe man

In the face of the compensation scandal that's come to light in the Metropolitan Waterworks and other government agencies, one of the most urgent tasks facing this fledgling government is identifying which agencies need to go. And by go, I mean axed. As in, completely phased out, rendered null, discarded into the dustbin of history, never to be revived by a greedy bureaucrat ever again.

There are too many government departments or commissions or agencies, and we don't really know what they're doing. True, there are some that are still relevant, whether from a practical (the police) or an ideological (the human rights commission) perspective, but I can't say that's true for the rest of the many-headed monster that is the government bureaucracy. There are some departments whose functions are so obscure, I can only hazard (ill-educated) guesses as to what they're really meant to be doing.

For example, what would the Presidential Broadcast Staff (with a 2011 budget P79 Million) really be doing? Taking care of broadcasting the official speeches of the President? And would they be broadcasting that through the Bureau of Broadcast Services (budget, P293 Million), which apparently operates the government's radio stations? (The government has radio stations? Airing what? Over where?)And for this, do they have to get the permission of the Bureau of Communications Services (budget, P29 Million), or can they do it alone? In which case, what would the bureaucrats in the Communications Services bureau really be in charge of? 

And some of them are performing duplicative functions - why the need for two or more agencies performing the same or similar tasks? (Let's not get into the three headed Cerberus that is President Noynoy's official mouthpieces). And don't let me get started on the fat salaries the heads and officers are being paid - whoever spread the rumor that there's no money in government posts should be lynched. 

A long hard look has to be taken at why these agencies were created, and whether after ten, fifty or eighty years, there's still a need to tolerate their existence. So much largesse has already poured down the mouths of the ravenous jackals in former administrations, we need to plug those holes fast.Up to now, I'm still reeling from the 25 months and the 23 or so kinds of bonuses paid by the water officials to themselves every year, while the millions of residents in the nation's capital, Metro Manila, still have only a single source of water.

The President's executive order suspending the payment of bonuses and per diems until further review is a good start. But it may not be quite that good, because it presumes the agencies have a reason for their existence, and that therefore the basic salaries of their staff should in the meantime still be paid. But maybe we should question even that.

 Fine, the broadcast agencies used as examples above may actually have functions that are vital to this nation (and maybe, too sophisticated for outsiders like me to comprehend.) If they can justify their continuing presence in this impoverished world, then by all means, keep them and fund them. But the litmus tests should be any of the following:

Do we use this peso to feed and clothe and educate a Filipino child, or do we use this peso to pay a surly arrogant public employee who couldn't be bothered to shuffle that piece of paper on top of his desk on to the next step without a few blandishments, ranging from flattery to outright bribery? Do we use this peso to keep our economy moving and our infrastructure developing, or do we use this peso to keep a few unhappy (and very noisy, especially when their jobs are threatened) souls chained to their desks? 

Ok fine, my tests may be flawed. But you get the drift. We should stop using taxpayer money to pad stomachs and bank accounts. 

So axe, Mr. President, and axe away with glee. (Ok, you don't have to be gleeful about it. Let me do the capering.)