Cost of Corruption in the Philippines
Written by admin on March 7, 2009 – 10:57 am -
Graft and corruption has been a fact of national life since post-Liberation days. Almost every administration has had its big and sensational graft cases. At every presidential election, one major issue that is always raised is graft and corruption. Opposition leaders denounce the graft being committed by the administration, but once they take over the reins of government, they also commit graft. It’s just a case of different sets of people pigging out at the trough that is the national treasury at different times.
Starting with the Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship, the Philippine crisis has been characterized not only by corruption and poverty but also by human rights abuses and a culture of impunity. Bruce Van Voorhis, a member of the Asian Human Rights Commission, said that these aspects of the life of the nation are linked: “People are poor to a large extent because of widespread corruption; those who wield political power violate people’s rights to attain and maintain that power; a lack of judicial punishment in the courts ensures impunity that permits corruption and human rights violations to continue. The cycle has sadly repeated itself for years.â€
Corruption retards economic and social development, lowers the quality of public services and infrastructure and raises the prices of goods and services. In all these aspects, it is the poor who suffer the most because they cannot avail themselves, for instance, of the services of private doctors and hospitals or buy expensive goods. In some cases, corruption literally kills: for instance, a ship sinks and hundreds of people die because a coast guard officer was bribed to allow the overloaded, non-seaworthy vessel to leave port.
In 2000, the World Bank estimated that the Philippines had lost $48 billion (P1.968 trillion) to corruption from 1977 to 1997. Think how many kilometers of roads and bridges and how many schoolhouses and hospitals that money could have built. Think of the other public infrastructure and public services that could have been improved with that kind of money. But all that public money went into the private pockets of corrupt, greedy government officials.
Tags: Bruce Van Voorhis, Corruption in the Philippines, Corruption retards economic, Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship, Philippines had lost $48 billion to corruption
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May 29th, 2009 at 4:45 am
Name: ENGR SEBASTIAN PAGCU JR.
Address/Office: RichTown2, Dela Paz Norte, City of San Fernando Pampanga/ DPWH, Region 3, Sindalan, San Fernando, Pampanga
Postion: Regional Equipment Engineer (Region III)
Crime committed:
You need to investigate him again on the alleged 370M funds on their department. This man is spending the money now, some were named to him and some arent to keep their crime. There is a basis on this and please investigate it. I do believe in you department, sp do it for us. Everyday this man is spending thousands of money! Read my letter again below
hi! i want to report corruption. there was an issue before last 2004 regarding the ” ghost deliveries and ghost repairs” made on one of your department. ENGR SEBASTIAN PAGCU JR. (oic regional Regional Equipment Services) was accused of the $370M given by JINA (Japanese company). This was investigated. Nothing happens on this. Maybe the ombudsman assigned was bribed. it was broadcasted also by mr joe taruc, base on the info he was given money to stop accusing and airing him on the radio. this was stopped maybe big amount of money was given. years passed already, 4 yrs i think. but why this person suddenly made a blast to his wealth. built a house worth of millions, buying cars, luxury cars worth of millions, going out spending thousands, treating others spending thousands, donated a gym fully equipped spending thousands, renovated the subdivision gate spending thousands, celebrating birthdays spenidng thousands. there are lots of poor people not eating, there were several government projects not finish bec they lack of funds. and why this person celebrating and not even bothered. if you will do the math, they wont have those things. try to open the case and investigate this should not happen. i will email several times so that you will realize something about this. he may not be as popular as other accused government officials but still big money is behind this. 370M!!!
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:44 am
Sir:
One news items reads:
“Tax shortfall to affect RP rating – Citibank
By Des Ferriols Updated April 15, 2009 12:00 AM
MANILA, Philippines – Unless the government would be able to accelerate its
collection pace, the country’s tax collection shortfalls could worsen in 2009 —
a major threat to its credit ratings amid slowing growth……”
Believe some of the reasons affecting this are that tax legislators and
implementor focus their collection efforts on the striving small businesses
by imposing stringent requirements and higher cost registering their livelihood
and on the salaried employees employees who could say NO because taxes
are readily deducted in advance from their compensations and let go off their
good friends tax cheaters.
In the last semester of 2006, was discovered the by Department
of Finance thru the BIR and the BSP to have some long-time massive tax evasions.
It manipulated the payroll of its employees such that portion is to be claimed as
representation expenses even if not spent as such. Employees are advised that this
portion is non-taxable thereby limiting government tax collection efforts. It also
continued to collect withholding taxes in early 2005 even if no longer allowed by
law, worst is that these collections were dishonestly neither remitted to the
government nor refunded to clients. It also continued to grant loans to its clients
even if the ITRs presented clearly showed doctored figures causing the encouragement
to its clients to cheat the government limiting its tax collection efforts.
Audit records are kept secretly by these government agencies. But instead of
collecting the correct back taxes and penalize the tax evaders, corrupt government
officials concerned connived with the tax cheats to cause in late 2006 the
enactment of Republic Act No. 9480 which was later hastily, suspiciously, secretly
and maliciously approved as the Tax Amnesty Law of 2007. This law prohibits the
government to collect the back taxes due beyond 2005 and restricted the government
to legally punish the tax evaders.
To show to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund that something has
been done, the government sacked out from office sometime late 2006 one Mr. Bunag
who is a close relative of one of the officers of said bank.
Please help that RA No. 9480/Tax Amnesty Law of 2007 be given no effect, the back
taxes due from this institution be collected and the severe punishment to the tax
evader imposed. Doing this, will help improve government tax collections efforts and will
also serve as an example to deter those who continued or planning to do the same
violations in the future.
June 28th, 2009 at 7:29 am
Name: ENGR SEBASTIAN PAGCU JR.
Address/Office: RichTown2, Dela Paz Norte, City of San Fernando Pampanga/ DPWH, Region 3, Sindalan, San Fernando, Pampanga
Postion: Regional Equipment Engineer (Region III)
Crime committed:
You need to investigate him again on the alleged 370M funds on their department. This man is spending the money now, some were named to him and some arent to keep their crime. There is a basis on this and please investigate it. I do believe in you department, sp do it for us. Everyday this man is spending thousands of money! Read my letter again below
hi! i want to report corruption. there was an issue before last 2004 regarding the †ghost deliveries and ghost repairs†made on one of your department. ENGR SEBASTIAN PAGCU JR. (oic regional Regional Equipment Services) was accused of the $370M given by JINA (Japanese company). This was investigated. Nothing happens on this. Maybe the ombudsman assigned was bribed. it was broadcasted also by mr joe taruc, base on the info he was given money to stop accusing and airing him on the radio. this was stopped maybe big amount of money was given. years passed already, 4 yrs i think. but why this person suddenly made a blast to his wealth. built a house worth of millions, buying cars, luxury cars worth of millions, going out spending thousands, treating others spending thousands, donated a gym fully equipped spending thousands, renovated the subdivision gate spending thousands, celebrating birthdays spenidng thousands. there are lots of poor people not eating, there were several government projects not finish bec they lack of funds. and why this person celebrating and not even bothered. if you will do the math, they wont have those things. try to open the case and investigate this should not happen. i will email several times so that you will realize something about this. he may not be as popular as other accused government officials but still big money is behind this. 370M!!!
August 7th, 2009 at 8:25 am
100 Billion pesos lost per year to corrupt people in the government. Mga kilala natin, o baka kamag anak pa.
Dapat bang bitayin? Sa tingin ko oo.
Kasi milyon ang namamatay na walang tulong ng gobyerno. Yung mga naghaharing kawatan sa gobyerno, itapon sa pinakamabahong kulungan sa Bilibid!
October 12th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
Subject : Lucy Says /May 2009
Engr. Sebastian Pagcu Jr.
I can only say, SHOW CONCRETE EVIDENCE
if you feel Engr. Pagcu Jr. committed
corruption while performing his duties as
Region 3 Equipment Engineer.Simple mathe-
matics,any government regional offices have their own organizational chart and this chart serves as the official proto-
col where they are supposed to report to.
Do you think Engr. Pagcu Jr. can bypass
his superior in what you call JINA (the
Japanese Company) he dealt with ? I know Du ( nickname of Engr. Pagcu Jr. ) per-
sonally, not only him but the whole fa-
mily members, I am two years ahead of the same profession we had and we belong
to the masses of Parulog, Bacolor in Pampanga. As what Du is saying, genero-
sity runs in his blood, that’s true. If you want one more guy to attest, Alan Quizon can do. He’s based in Palawan and I am in USA. If Ms. Lucy wants to know
more of Du ( Engr. Pagcu Jr. )I am willing to communicate with her.
Thanks, and more power!!!