We are a week away from the proclamation of the next Philippine President. Indeed, the next
Chief Executive is faced with enormous challenges, the greatest perhaps is the challenge of living up to the standards of
public service set by his late parents. During his campaign, President elect Noynoy Aquino spoke several times of the lines:
“kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap.” As he begins his presidency a week from now, we should all hope and work
for genuine bureaucratic reforms geared towards improving the lives of the people.
A few years back, I was fortunate enough to attend a special anti-corruption course at the Rand
Graduate School in Sta. Monica, California along with some Philippine city mayors. The Dean of the Rand Graduate School, Professor
Robert Klitgaard, has been a frequent visitor to the Philippines, particularly in Davao and Surigao. Professor Klitgaard’s
famous formula on corruption might be useful for the next president as he considers his policies to counter this deeply rooted
menace.
According to Professor Klitgaard: “Corruption loves multiple and complex regulations with
ample and uncheckable official discretion. Corruption tends not to thrive where there is a democratic culture, competition
and good system of control, and where people have rights to information and rights to redress.” Professor Klitgaard
presents his corruption formula as follows: C = M + D – A, where, Corruption (c) equals Monopoly of Power (M) plus Discretion
of Officials (D) minus Accountability.
The significance of Klitgaard’s formula which is now well accepted even by governments
in Central America is its focus on systems reform and not merely on the corrupt individual. In other words, instead of simply
investigating the unethical acts of an individual and punishing him for these acts, the goal should be to discover measures
to change the environment where corruption flourishes.
Without disregarding the importance of our penal laws, Professor Klitgaard's formula would
lead us to examine the ways by which we reduce monopoly of power, limit and clarify discretion and increase transparency as
well as people participation. Our perennial problem on corruption has had ramifications that will not be easy for the next
Chief Executive to curtail. However, a re-examination of anti-corruption practices and policies, or perhaps a re-strengthening
of them, might prove useful in our common quest to lessen, if not eradicate corruption in government and in society. The people’s
vigilance is similarly important together with government transparency measures. Professor Klitgaard’s formula, and
his mantra that “corruption is a crime of calculation, not of passion,” is indeed timely. We should all join hands
to win this battle. (E-mail address: myrfnt@yahoo.com)
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/263234/battling-with-corruption
