Padrino

The outburst of President Aquino against the Bureau of Customs put the spotlight not only on corruption but also on its partner, the padrino system. 

Based on national surveys and business confidence, P-Noy is perceived to be making a dent in the fight against corruption. But he has not touched the issue of padrinos – the practice of influential persons or groups lobbying for appointments and promotions in government.

Even the champion of the war on corruption embraces the padrino system, which in this country is a basic part of the problem.

Because of the extent of the corruption problem, I guess you can tackle only a few aspects, one at a time, and live with the rest. Perhaps P-Noy prefers to set realistic targets. Or maybe he regards the padrino system in the same way as the congressional pork barrel – a necessary evil to push the agenda of his administration.

The padrino system, however, is the biggest roadblock to the development of a merit-based society. It retards national competitiveness by rewarding the undeserving. It means the absence of a level playing field in many aspects of national life. It ignores the cream that rises to the top, and this dampens aspirations to excel in one’s chosen field.

Realistically, P-Noy cannot eradicate the padrino system within his term. At the start of his presidency, when there were thousands of positions to be filled in the new administration, there was reportedly a mountain of endorsements for various positions in different agencies from one religious group alone. A miffed P-Noy reportedly junked the documents. This should end a growing practice among cops, prosecutors and other government workers from joining the religious group, but without leaving their original faith, in hopes of having a better shot at promotion and plum assignments.

P-Noy himself, however, has also entertained endorsements for appointments, promotions and assignments from his political allies. At the start of his term this was partly by necessity, since he and his close aides – thrust into power late in the game – didn’t have enough time to vet people. Several months into his presidency, thousands of vacancies still waited to be filled.

Speculation on which power bloc in the daang matuwid administration currently has the upper hand is partly based on how many key positions, and which ones, are controlled by each faction.

The power blocs also endorse appointments, promotions and assignments in executive departments and the judiciary. There is currently stiff lobbying for the top position in the Sandiganbayan, the anti-graft court.

*   *   *

Can P-Noy fight the system? Not completely, and we can’t tell if he’s even interested. But it’s possible to lay the foundations for a society where people get ahead in life based on merit rather than connections.

Some proposals have been kicked around in Congress for several years now to de-politicize the system of appointments, promotions and assignments.

One, involving the military promotion system, is embodied in the proposed overhaul of the National Defense Act of 1935. Since the proposal aims to clip the powers of lawmakers, depriving them and other politicians of a major source of patronage, it didn’t hurdle the 14th and 15th Congress. The measure has been re-filed in the 16th; a year of work went into the re-filed version.

The proposed reforms, first drawn up by a legal team when lawyer Avelino Cruz was the defense secretary, listed detailed criteria that must be met for promotion at every rank in the military.

Discretion can still be exercised by the appointing power when several officers meet all the criteria. This is usually the case for the top positions starting with the military chief of staff. But in other cases, the signature of the appointing power becomes ministerial.

A similar system should be in place in all agencies of the executive and judicial branches.

In a society where such a merit system is institutionalized, those who are promoted without meeting the criteria not only face the opprobrium of their peers, their undeserved blessing may even be challenged before an appropriate body.

The absence of such a system in our country has given us cops, soldiers, prosecutors, judges and justices who are beholden to politicians, major campaign donors from the private sector, and yes, the religious mafia.

Repaying debts for such appointments and promotions can lead to corrupt deals. It has also made it easy for politicians to get away with murder, literally, in their turfs. When the local political kingpin controls those in charge of every step of the criminal justice system, he can commit any crime with impunity.

The padrino system is demoralizing in the bureaucracy and kills initiative to excel in our society. If you excelled in academics and found yourself in the same profession, for example, with a classmate who from grade school to college was a non-achiever, and upon graduation he’s the one who shines in your chosen field because he has the right surname or political connections, what will you do?

You’ll likely look for a job abroad, becoming an overseas Filipino worker in a country where you think there’s a level playing field.

P-Noy cannot change the padrino system overnight, but he can start laying the groundwork for reforms. It will lead to a seismic shift in our society.