Better Philippines

Indignant Over Hypocritical Show Of Selective Indignation

Do you know what makes Philippine politics one big joke? It’s the hypocrisy.

I’m really beginning to think there is no more hope for this country of ours. How can we expect to realize a better Philippines when we can not even mount a decent and genuine indignation rally. Heck, we can’t even decide exactly what we are being indignant about. Gloria Forever? Charter Change? Corruption? Transactional Politics? All of the above?

The Anti-Con-Ass rally should have been more than just a protest against Charter Change through Constituent Assembly. It should have been more than just an act of defiance against attempts to extend PGMA’s term. It should have been a rejection of graft, of corruption, of all the evils that plague our government.

Those who were there would likely say that it was. Really, now, is that what it was? I caught a live TV coverage of the rally and, boy, was I blown away by the images that I saw. Just as I feared, politicians and would-be politicians took over the stage again, displaying their disgusting smiles and fake posturings. If it were a real indignation rally against government evils then those opportunists shouldn’t have been allowed on stage to begin with.

And, what about those partylist solons who, at the very least, appear to be defenders of the common good? Were they not bothered at all that they were  sharing the stage with the poster boy for transactional politics? Ah, the hypocrisy.

Perhaps, the biggest hypocrisy and punchline in all of this is the fact that many of those so-called protesters did not even have the slightest idea what the hoopla was all about. A TV Patrol report showed a couple of “hakots” admitting on camera that they do not even know what Con-Ass meant.

I’m running out of words to express my indignation over this disappointing excuse of a rally. I’ll just borrow the famous words of Anti-Con Ass supporter Senator Mar Roxas, who, according to fellow blogger PinoyBuzz, is actually a closet charter change supporter.

P U T A N G I N A !

(I apologize for the profanity. I just can’t stand hypocrisy)

Cut The Red Tape

The Bureau of Customs has reportedly achieved what other government agencies have not. It has become compliant with the Anti-Red Tape Law. The Bureau claims transactions that used to take days to complete can now be finished in just a matter of hours. Congratulations to the BOC if this is true and not just another press release.

All government agencies should prioritize the elimination of red tape. Their commitment to making their processes more efficient would reflect their determination to rid their offices of graft and corruption. Conversely, their determination to maintain inefficiencies would just expose their commitment to graft and corruption.

I wonder which comes first. Inefficiencies in the system or corruption? Do grafters look for kinks in the system where they can apply their corrupt practices? Or do they convert efficient systems to suit their evil designs?

I’m pondering these questions because determining how red tape creeps in to a system is an important step towards finding suitable countermeasures. Take the first situation. If there are loopholes in the system the obvious solution would be to plug them. I think for the second situation the simplest solution is to kick out those who initiated the conversion from efficiency to inefficiency. Of course, these are all overly simplified. In the real world, the situations are likely to be more complicated and the required solutions more difficult to implement.

In any case, the key to addressing red tape and the attendant graft and corruption is political will. If it is really true that the Bureau of Customs is now red tape-free then clearly it has already exercised its political will. Are our other agencies up to the task?