Corruption
1. Corruption is the abuse of official power in government or in the private sector for private gain or enrichment. A more general term, graft is the use of dishonest or questionable means for private gain. Ordinarily, we connect graft and corruption to political life. But we must recognize that both the public and the private sectors perpetrate this evil. Our high tolerance of the evil is still the greatest problem. We as a people are also responsible. In the public sector, direct theft of government resources and the sharing of profits from government contracts, illegal gambling and drugs continue. In the private sector, connivance with corrupt activities of public officials, bribery and dishonest reporting of finances for tax evasion purposes are reportedly not infrequent. Insider trading, stock market manipulation and shady business deals worth billions of pesos deprive small investors of meager resources and discourage investors, both domestic and foreign. But in the context of a nation of such gross inequality as ours, this evil against society and against God is aggravated.
2. It is the poor who suffer most from corruption. Public funds that should provide development for the poor are stolen. “Stealing from public funds is so much more food plucked from the mouths of the starving…” (CBCP Pastoral Exhortation, “Thou Shalt Not Steal”.) The impact of corruption extends far beyond the direct cost to government and to its capacity to provide public service. Corruption has besmirched the reputation of our nation. 3. Corruption is instrumental in driving down the value of the peso. It makes possible the proliferation of criminal syndicates engaged in kidnapping and the drug trade. It imposes countless burdens on business people and ordinary citizens who must give lagay in order to obtain services to which they are entitled. It has weakened the moral and spiritual fiber of a people that sees almost everyone as “on the take”, “lahat nandadaya”, including the most powerful institution of the land. 4. Corruption has weakened the resolve of many to work for change as they are gradually being conditioned to accept and tolerate systemic and institutional wrongdoing by those in power. Today these corrupt systems have become so established that they can even boot out well-intentioned and crusading officials in critical offices notorious for graft and corruption. Legislators hold up the national budget because of squabbles over “pork,” or so-called “development” funds. Indeed, corruption has become so entrenched as not to spare even such revered institutions as media and civil society. Even some in the Church have been known to accept donations from persons known to be corrupt. 5. It shall be considered unprofessional and inconsistent with honorable and dignified bearing for any members of the Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines: a. To act for his client or for his employer otherwise than as a faithful agent or trustee. b. To accept remuneration for services rendered other than from his client or his employer. c. To invite or submit priced proposals under conditions that constitute price competition for professional services. d. To attempt to supplant another engineer in a particular engagement after definite steps have been taken toward his employment. e. To attemtpt to injure, flasely or maliciously, the professional reputation, business, or employment position of another engineer. f. To review the work of another engineer for same client, except with the knowledge of engineer, unless such engineer's engagement on the work which is subject to review has been terminated. g. To advertise engineering services in self-laudatory language, or in any other manner derogatory to the dignity of the profession. h. To use the advantages of the salaried position to compete unfairly with other engineers. i. To exert undue influence or to other, solicit or accept compensation for the purpose of affecting negotiations for an engineering engagement. j. To act in any manner derogatory to the honor, integrity or dignity of the engineering profession. (Adapted from the American Society of Civil Engineers 'Code of Ethics', August 5, 1973.) 6. The CBCP, in its Pastoral Letter dated July 7, 2003, offered the following Pastoral Recommendations and Action: a.) Awareness is not enough. More decisive action must be taken; b.) support the many Church-based groups and citizens’ group that have taken up the issue either on their own or in response to the Bishops’ call; c.) challenge new groups to organize themselves and address this problem in their respective sectors or localities. In particular we urge all our Catholic institutions, schools, parishes, religious organizations and movements, and Basic Ecclesial Communities to emphasize value formation, especially in the family, and to throw themselves vigorously into the campaign. We encourage them to use for their formation programs the book “Ehem! A Manual for Deepening Involvement in Combating Corruption” produced by the Jesuit Committee on the Evangelization of Culture; d.) urge government to form alliances with concerned citizens’ groups, including legal right, with detailed information on budgets and expenditures; and e.) Citizens’ groups should also help in lifestyle checks on government officials. Government officials who show themselves reluctant to share such information should be immediately suspected of having something to hide. |
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