OPINION

Gov’t top priority: Corruption

IZUMIN // Kyzzia Paguirigan

Pandemic or not corruption has always been a hot topic and issue, government’s fight against it must be a relentless, unforgiving, and encompassing. Corruption, in whatever way or form must always be stopped at all cost, and the government must do their absolute everything to uproot the source of corruption itself.

Corruption itself is very hard to erase or to eradicate because some people are finding and labeling it as a “way of life” where they pour every resource they have for them to transact in secret and make a fortune with it, it is also hard to track because of the advancements in technology that mankind has invented where money can be moved from one account to another or to hidden bank accounts or offshore holdings. The World Bank has made its estimate on how much money has been used in bribery or of sorts and statistics said that it is around 1.5 trillion US dollars per year.

As for the Philippines, Transparency International had some disconcerting news where early this year they revealed its 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index. In it, the Philippines was ranked 117th out of 180 countries with a score of 33 out of 100 (100 being “very clean” and zero being “very corrupt”). The organization noted that the Philippines’ ranking is a “historic low”, lower than the global average of 43 and the Asia-Pacific average of 45.

Additionally, the Transparency International’s Global Corruption Barometer surveyed the experience of everyday people and their confrontation with corruption. It was revealed that 86 percent of the people surveyed in the Philippines said that “government corruption is a big problem” and the remaining 19 percent said that they have paid a bribe in the previous 12 months.

Knowing the situation, the government has no choice but to continue its fight against corruption in every way or manner possible. The Task Force Against Corruption (TFAC) has taken their measure and released a video campaign that aims to eliminate the seeds of corruption that will eventually grow into massive forms of corruption.

It might be unrealistic to end corruption with a simple video sent to the masses. Nevertheless, it is imperative to the government to continue their fight and aspire for a country that treats its citizens fairly and bring justice to corrupt entities that steps foot in the country. Let us not let corruption be as it can destroy the very fabric of society and our welfare may be at stake. [R]

"It might be unrealistic to end corruption with a simple video sent to the masses. Nevertheless, it is imperative to the government to continue their fight and aspire for a country that treats its citizens fairly and bring justice to corrupt entities that steps foot in the country."