Having fun

As corruption scandals, circa daang matuwid, dominated the headlines last week, an expat from a prosperous Asian country took note of what he perceived to be the Filipino’s fondness for lavish parties.

The expat cited our public officials’ penchant for over-the-top celebrations at five-star hotels, with food and drinks overflowing and the guests trying to outdo each other in finery.

Many of our government officials like any excuse to throw extravagant parties not only for themselves but also for every member of the family and even for high-profile mistresses.

In China, Japan and South Korea, the expat noted, if the public finds out that a government official has thrown a lavish party to celebrate a birthday or other personal occasion, the event will raise a public outcry. In Japan and Korea, the public indignation is sure to force the official to resign, the expat said.

The expat understands that we have different cultures, and that Pinoys like any excuse to party and have fun. Why should public officials be excluded? Most of our top public officials also belong to the wealthy elite and they are the ones who can afford to party.

But the expat, who is relatively new in Manila, said the showy displays of profligate spending were disconcerting in a developing country. He wondered why there was no indignation from taxpayers and the poor.

The Asian expat is not the only one who has noticed such things in our culture. Another foreigner was amazed by the long convoy of vehicles that accompanied a Cabinet member visiting his home province. Expats from some of the world’s most advanced economies have also marveled at the large official delegations that typically accompany foreign trips by Philippine presidents. Their heads of government, the expats pointed out to me, do not travel with lawmakers and other politicians, who obviously just want to have fun abroad at taxpayers’ expense.

A European envoy told me that his government is so strict about public servants accepting gifts that even an Order of Sikatuna or other honors conferred by Malacañang on departing foreign diplomats could pose a problem. The honor, given in the form of a medal packaged in a nice box, must be declared to his government. And his government, the European told me, is sure to ask what he has done to deserve any award from a foreign country. This was no self-deprecating comment; he was simply stating a fact.

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Such practices have been going on for as long as Pinoys can remember that we are amazed when foreigners find them extraordinary.

I told the Asian expat that income disparity in this country has been so wide since we started keeping historical records that the average Pinoy, when faced with ostentation and conspicuous consumption by the rich, simply shrugs it off and thinks the rich are not like you and me. Few people also bother dwelling on the fact that many of the nation’s richest families owe their wealth to political power and public office.

Public indignation could temper ostentatious displays of wealth and increase pressure for good governance. But the indignation is not being tapped, with people seemingly unaware of their financial stake in government. The indignation is often missing even among the not-so-poor.

The very poor are happy enough to receive dole-outs from rich political patrons, and even feel indebted for the gifts. There is no sense that perhaps these political patrons enriched themselves at public expense and have no business doling out money from questionable sources.

If the daang matuwid administration wants greater public support for its anti-corruption campaign, it should carry out an aggressive taxpayer information program.

Many Pinoys who don’t pay income tax or manage to avoid paying taxes on micro enterprises feel they have no investment in governance.

They should be informed by daang matuwid that from the moment they wash their face upon waking up and use electricity at home, they are contributing to public coffers. Through the value-added tax, the government takes a share in money we spend for our basic needs and activities: fuel, transport fare, many food items, medicine. The poor pay taxes when they buy cigarettes and cuatro cantos.

Upper income taxpayers complain when they see tax money being misspent. They also know enough to complain in cases deemed to be double taxation, such as in the tax on road toll and the VAT slapped on real estate taxes collected on common areas in condominium units. Accomplished accountants are needed to explain such taxes.

It should be easy for daang matuwid, however, to explain to ordinary folks that even the poorest of the poor contribute to national coffers through VAT.

This means everyone has a personal stake in demanding competent and honest service from government. And this means more Pinoys should get mad when they see public funds being misspent, especially when the profligacy is flaunted.

Once enough ordinary taxpayers understand the concept of accountability and become mad as hell over fund misuse and bad governance, that’s the start of a sea change in the way we do business.

That’s when more people start asking questions, and raising eyebrows when a public official earning less than P80,000 a month can easily throw a party costing P800,000 or more.

Party animals will gripe that this means less fun in the Philippines, but the nation will be a better place.