Corruption in the Philippines is a large problem and integrated in the society for years. Everybody seems to accept it. The ‘bigger’ corruption can be found in the government offices and the house of representatives, and even in the senate of the Philippines. Many ‘officials’ are corrupt and get money that is not actually theirs, but belongs to the people of the Philippines. There are many jokes about the so called “pork barrel” issues in the house of representatives. They all are able to get some for specific projects they initiate but put a lot of the money in their own pockets or the pockets of assistants, contractors and the like. Of course there are also ‘honest’ politicians in the Philippines, but because of the political system in this country, many are NOT. I will not discuss this here, I only like to report about corruption on a small scale.
A few days ago I was visiting the Immigration Office in Manila at Intramuros. When arriving, parking our car was no problem. There was enough space around 10.30 AM. A friendly man was even assisting in parking between two other cars (but on almost every parking lot in the Philippines you will find this kind of friendly people).
Around noon we were finished and wanted to go elsewhere in Manila. The same helpfull man was assisting again in going out.
I took a 10 peso coin from my purse and gave it to him saying thank you.
At that moment the man was saying that he wanted to have 30 pesos. I know that this is the correct amount to pay, but only if the (official) parking attendant is handing a ticket for parking. So I requested a ticket and was willing to pay 30 pesos for it. But the man said he could not issue a ticket to me. So I said that he only could get 10 pesos, or 30 with a ticket. The man tried to get 20 pesos in stead without ticket, but I refused it. I handed him the 10 pesos, said goodbye and drove off, probably leaving the man cursing: “those F***** kano’s ….. “. For those who do not know the term kano: it is short for Americano. All not Filipino people are seen as Americans and called kano.
This wasn’t the first time I experienced this at this place. The first time, a few months ago, I was issued a ticket by the official parking guard after another man also wanted to have 30, and not the 10 I was intending to give. Fact is that people try to get money from visitors at the immigration office without the issue of parking tickets. I call this corruption.
They steal from the government by doing so and I realize that this kind of corruption doesn’t have much priority in the government, it IS corruption.
Philippino people like changes in their country. They have a new president now, who is not corrupt and even fighting the corruption. People only do not realize that changing the country starts with themselves. They have to start being straight themselves and look for proper jobs. It is only that this way of ‘earning’ money is easier, and if they are lucky maybe they ‘earn’ more each day.
Corruption can be found in all layers of the community. This is just a small example of it. I will report of more cases soon.
Filipino time:
I agree.
just report it to some authority there next time.
Hi Adrian,
The problem is that most of the ‘proper’ authorities (police) are as corrupt as everybody else…. or even more… LOL
I can only agree that corruption is endemic in the Philippines,it drags progress down to a snails pace and has produced a nation of people who completely distrust each other.Why does it take at least 4 people to sell you a shirt in SM? – they are all keeping an eye on each other.What other country requires so many security guards? – about 1 in 4 of the workforce is completely non productive.
Brian,
Thanks for visiting my website and for leaving this comment.
The reason that shops have so many employees must be the low wages. It helps Filipinos to get a job, although the pay is low, and they have to work many hours for it. Because of the poverty in the Philippines, many people try to steal, even small things. That’s why shop owners think it might help to hire security guards. If it helps…? I do not think so. It only gives many people a job, but also keeps prices of goods high in those supermarkets and malls.
Mistrusting eachother might be true. If so, it helps the shop owner to keep fraude rates low.
The salesperson work on commission. If you will notice, whenever you decided on an item, that salesperson writes a ticket, then personally escorts you to the cashier and sets your items down on the counter. This way, they are assured other salesperson will not toss her ticket and replace it with their own.
A big reason for it is so the cashier won’t give free stuff to her friends.
corruption, just go to pacifico ,siargao island, omgggg, i purchased land ,got all correct paper work form various authorities, all notarised. built my house ,before the may elections 2010, i just had small things to do to finish my house ,two weeks after the elections in pacifico , i recieved a 72 hour stop work court order on my house. ….
And the story continues.
Expat in the Philippines is going to make a special post about the story of this man. So come back soon to read about corruption with a big C.
Thanks for sharing your story here, Graham.
It is terrible what money can do to honest people…..
Only in the Philippines ????
I understand when it comes to people outside government offices who like having hand outs instead of working do to the low wages, but one thing I greatly do not understand and will not accept is the laziness that you can find in the government offices. The workers who are hired on to help the people, whom we are hoping has good knowledge of their job as well as an education but who really might of been hired on do to close relationship of other workers, and when we walk into such an office, which ever government office for the questions we might have, and we ask them to help explain things so it does not sound confusing they blurt out words such as “just fallow the system” or “it will get cheaper along the way” and they ignore you or act like you need to give money for further help when help in such a place is for free…like the music box stopped playing and it needs another coin to play again. How can anyone fallow a system if the system is not properly explained. How can anyone agree to pay monthly payments on either rent, internet, gym building and so forth unless the prices are explained…does the landlord, or owner come and say “I come to collect your rent,” and than they say a price which was higher than the agreement or lets say you are paying something off and the last few prices is cheaper but they choose to charge you a higher price.
When i was at the Hall of Justice to get help towards a case, where you are offered free serves according to the constitution “Article 3, Bill of Rights, Section 11. Free access to the courts and quasi-judicial bodies and adequate legal assistance shall not be denied to any person by reason of poverty.” I would be told to go hirer a lawyer instead of them offering me service or they would say “I’m too busy for you,” when if they were busy, since they are government, they could look at the situation and set a date.
Another thing, but not the last in most of my experience in the Philippines, was when I encountered a friend who is half American and Filipino, and he was in a state of poverty so i went to the immigration to see how to help him go back to his state in the USA but when the officer knew he was also half filipino, he has two passports, the officer acted like Filipinos are superior and said he has no problem but the issue was I asked for advise on how to help him get back home but the officer ignored me and would not even give me another place to go to to help this friend get back home to the US where he could better his life.
The government is out right lazy and takes advantage of their position in office and as Rizal shared in a quote (pg 378 by G. F. Zaide 2nd edition)
Also, why do we have all these other laws that only contradicts each other or the government picks and chooses a law to fit their case but it totally goes against hat really brought the case about to begin with which is why i like this quote this one authors shares:
“There is no question that the Constitution is the supreme law of the land of which all other laws must conform.” – Malcom “Philippines Conational Law” — found within the book entitled “Adminavive Law Simplified” page 48
PS
Sorry for my long comment but hopefully some of you know and have experienced some of these same frustrations. It is my hope that the Filipinos will stand up and keep the government accountable. I see good things that could come about if we would make the government workers become accountable….as we work about it in all legal manners of course.
Hi John,
Thanks for visiting my website. Also thanks for your story. It is interesting to read.
Who knows if there are more readers with similar stories, I would like to hear from them ….
Just like the Ombudsman who is to be a watchdog to protect the people from the government workers whose main purpose is to serve the people with utmost honest, article 11 section 1 of the Constitution, but instead of serving they wish to be lazy in their work and to be served just as much.
In the government’s job they also seeks to protect one another before they actually do what their job really requires. They will force you to sign papers or when they write their letters they write them in a half truth fashion like a lawyer in court who does not care for the truth but what can they do to help their client to make their ratings look good….and in the government their first client is other government workers not the people complaining, or asking for understanding, about their service.
Some of the things i seen, or heard, while walking the streets, the government workers are getting a higher pay while the 240 daily wage is never taking into consideration for the other hard working Filipinos.
If the people have any questions, or are concern on the service being provided for them by the RTA, immigration, City Hall and most of all Layers, they should never be afraid to ask for the constitution grants us that right to information.
Article 3, Bill of Rights, Section 7. The right of the people to information on matters of public concern shall be recognized. Access to official records, and to documents and papers pertaining to official acts, transactions, or decisions, as well as to government research data used as basis for policy development, shall be afforded the citizen, subject to such limitations as may be provided by law.
Strong advice:
Get to know your rights. Never let what a government worker shares be the final say, for we are all humans and even the best of us can make mistake as well as the corrupt ones. A government might sometimes take advantage of our ignorance so never be afraid to ask questions to bring clarity towards the matter at hand.
“There is no question that the Constitution is the supreme law of the land of which all other laws must conform.” – Malcom “Philippines Conational Law” — found within the book entitled “Adminavive Law Simplified” page 48
Do not let a government, or lawyer, seek to confirm matters by their other laws, such as RP and so forth, if it does not agree with the Constitution which is the supreme law of the land…for when they do seek for issues outside the constitution it draws the focus away from what really happened to begin with.
John,
I admire your work, to make the Philippines a better country. Good luck !
i was just searchin about the parking situation in manila at the immigration office, because im about to go re-new my visa.
Firstly, i also always have problems parking my car there with petty corruption from the guys outside. Consider yourself lucky bcus they usually ask me for 100 pesos (i dont give it and its followed by a situation/drama, last time the guy hit my car and swore at me), last time as i was walking away from the car he said as i just parked up a guy said to me its 150 for parking, i simply said no and walked inside, he followed me and said do i want my car washed its additional 100 only, i said no, SIMPLY NO, the universaly understood word, said a few times in fact. When i came out after 15 minutes theres 3 guys washing my car. I got angry and starting shouting at them from far away as i walking upto the car as i had the memory of one of them hitting my car and swearing at me on a previous visit, (this was like the 4-5 th time ive had problems with the parking guys and had lost my patience). I insulted them lightly, asked them if they are stupid and dont understand the word NO, i slammed my wipers down while they where still washing the screen and told them to get away from my car. I had to get something from the car, and go back into immigration, after another hour or so i was ready to leave and went back to my car again, this time only one boy came to help and gave him 20, he didnt say anything this time, usually its a long explanation as to why its more. These guys need to remember that they are simply begging, and beggers cannot be choosers.
You may think its mean of me to act like that, but after the previous visit of having one of them hit my car and swear at me simply cus i wudnt give more than 20 made me so angry, i should have given him nothing. Anyway, thats just petty corruption.
In terms of bigger corruption, well i can say 99.9% of the time, if your transacting with BIR, CUSTOMS, MMDA they are always corrupt. BIR go to my girlfriends mothers house every year demanding bribe payments otherwise they will simply make up a ton of penalties that she has to pay, they deman upwards of 700,000 – 1,000,000 otherwise in return for a receipt that says only 200,000. Disgusting.
I personally imported goods to the philippines recently, meaning i had to deal with customs. i knew already the rate would be 10% + other fees, so looking at a maximum of 30%, they told me my charges would less than 20,000 pesos, which is about what i expected (that was about 40%), once i paid that, they told me i had to pay another 20,000 otherwise my goods would be held up in papaerwork errors for months and i would have to pay a storage fee for the whole time (very expensive).
If you come to visit this country (im from the uk) it is a nice place, but the people im a afraid are not particularly nice. And if you ever have to deal with any kind of governement body then i feel very sorry for you.
Anyone thinking of coming here to retire, only do so if you do not need to do business etc here.
Hi Kris,
Thanks for sharing your experiences here, it is much appreciated.
Near the immigration office the city has implemented a parking fee of 40 pesos (last year it was still 30), but only if the official officer is issuing a ticket for it. There are also a lot of non-official people who want to collect these 40 pesos (or sometimes more like in your story). I am not sure but it could be relatives of the official employee. I always refuse to pay if they do not issue a ticket, and never more than 40 pesos. Maybe they do not dare to ask me more than the 40 because my Filipino wife is always with me. But even if I was alone, I wouldn’t pay more than 40. If they do not issue a ticket I give them nothing or maybe just 5 pesos.
Probably you were alone and didn’t bring a local. They see that you are ‘new’ there and take advantage. This is the Philippines.
About starting a business, well that is a different story. I wouldn’t advise anybody to start a business here. Especially for foreigners it is very difficult. Aside from that a foreigner cannot own a business for 100%, the maximum is 49%. Which means that you need a very trustfull Filipino as a partner in business.
Thanks again for your contribution.
“In terms of bigger corruption, well i can say 99.9% of the time, if your transacting with BIR, CUSTOMS, MMDA they are always corrupt. BIR go to my girlfriends mothers house every year demanding bribe payments otherwise they will simply make up a ton of penalties that she has to pay, they deman upwards of 700,000 – 1,000,000 otherwise in return for a receipt that says only 200,000. Disgusting.”
This is very much what my own landlord one time experienced. She was asked to pay or they would take it to court, which even if you are innocent court cost is expensive and the government always seems to win, but hopefully now that Noy Noy is our president we wont have that issue as much.
I basically trust no lawyers at all in this country unless proven otherwise. Most i speak with like what i believe and stand for but they are too afraid to stir the water because they always say those who are resting will do anything to get rid of you to calm the waters once again.
Good for you Jan to stand up to those that try to take advantage of you. Everytime I go home for a vacation, I try not to stand out and let them know that I am a balikbayan. I try and talk tagalog as much as possible, dress appropriately and not flash my US issued credit card. I decided to open up a bank account in the Philippines that would allow me to use a bank card for my purchases. In this way, I will not have to carry a lot of cash on me.
Hi, just doing some browsing for my site. Can’t believe the amount of information out there. Not quite what i was looking for, but good site. Have a good day.