Just some “serious concerns”

(Published in Zamboanga Today on February 1, 2008.)

The news from Washington, D.C. that the head of the United States’ lead global poverty-fighting agency pronounced America’s serious considerations in slowing down the aid for the Philippines in view of the our country’s corruption indicators impacts some Filipinos with mixed reactions: relief, disappointment, and surprise.

Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Chief Executive Officer John Danilovich had earlier said the American people have “serious concerns” with the state of corruption in the Philippines.

It is disheartening perhaps that the biggest aid donor and support arm of the Philippines is slacking down on its partnership assistance to Philippine Government to alleviate the lives of those at the mass base. However, it is surprising that the US official has taken long to comment on this. And, it is even disappointing that there are US citizens aware of these practices but have for some reason tolerated them by being silent, and continue belittling Filipinos behind our backs and within our territories. After all, evil thrives when good men do nothing.

In few or some (perhaps, not all) of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in-country programs, for instance, where there are a great majority of Filipinos employed, corrupt practices come in mildest forms, to include use by supervisors of program vehicles and/or facilities for personal use, subtle diversion of funds for activities that are actually not inclusive of the program’s needs, non-inclusion of activities that are needed by program beneficiaries, or even the conduct of costly conferences that do not seem to produce quality results. Sadly, these incidents are unreported, untold, and even un-investigated—because these are not the money of the Filipinos.

Ironically, some USAID programs bring in people from the elite class to head or lead projects and programs that are meant to benefit the poor or the needy. Hence, Manila people who live in plush villages and subdivisions design corporate programs for those in Mindanao—but do not take efforts to come over to the project sites, except when US Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney, or Washington dignitaries, or USAID and US Embassy officials, fly down south, or when they just come down to berate those at the ground, beneficiaries included. At this point, publicity and presence with the high officials matter most, not to mention the very beneficial ‘per diem’.

At the municipal and community levels, local townsfolk receive the benefits from the Filipinos who visit them regularly, and express personal thanks to them who delivered the goods or services, unaware in most cases that the bounty had come “from the American people”. On several occasions, journalists doing coverage or looking for success stories find themselves in a spot, when beneficiaries exclaim with surprise that the project came ‘from the American people’.

To Americans however who are in the Philippines, naming them as project donors does not seem to matter. But to those citizens back in the US who also feel good having shed out a part of their taxes for people in need from developing countries such as the Philippines, an occasional appreciation is highly welcomed—and even returned with more assistance.

Any donor would be happy to know that what he gave to an intended recipient would reach the latter and not stop in the hands of the middleman. With this as reference point, some foreign donors get disappointed when, in the process of delivery, they get shortchanged—by “middlemen”, or they through whom the assistance was channeled through. This line is where they believe corruption thrived as well. This could be the case.

But then again, this may be not. As to how John Danilovich and other Americans had come to such conclusion, we Filipinos can just sigh over a system where all had been dragged and tagged, even when there are more who live in the right work values as honesty, sincerity, dedication to work, and industry. (Frencie L. Carreon)