Thursday, October 09, 2008 The truth By Noemi C. Fetalvero Two empty bottles
DURING the Emmys night an award winner said: “Truth is what you get other people to believe.” That is truth redefined in graft and corruption become deeply rooted in a vulnerable society plagued with economic problems.
Webster defines truth as accuracy, sincerity, integrity, in agreement with fact.
In our society today, the connotation of truth is muddled by reality. Bribery is what gets the job done is someone else’s perception of truth when everything else fails.
When a public official says there is money for this project, the truth is that the money is yet to be earned by income generating government offices.
It is intended to be spent through appropriations. When appropriated, how much of it really goes to the project or services? If ever it goes in that direction at all.
Recent computerization of some government offices is a convenient excuse for incompetence and clerical errors. “You cannot teach old dogs new tricks,” may partly apply in this situation; however, prior to change in the system, documentation was already slow moving and tedious.
Several trips have to be made to these offices because the instructions and requirements are given in installment.
When transacting business with a government office, our two empty bottles have to be filled with lots of patience. Those who do not want the “turtle pace” will opt to fill their two empty bottles with bribery money. And a better way to deal with facilitators and fixers is to ignore their presence in some government offices.
Speaking of incompetence, some teachers who pass the board exams found themselves paying the certification fee twice because of incorrect entries. Trashing documents is a waste of taxpayer’s money.
A friend of mine had to go to the National Statistics Office in Manila to correct a misspelled name. The birth certificate has been going back and forth like a saw in motion and at the expense of my friend because the document has to be sent via a cargo forwarder. How much time, money and effort have to be spent to get the job done right by public servants who are supposed to be career employees?
