Here’s how corruption begins at barangay, youth councils

It’s an open secret that our youths learn corruption at the Sangguniang Kabataan. That’s because of the bad influence of elders in barangay councils.

There’s a “kontratista” at the barangay council. He is usually a friend of the chairman and council members. They let him handle all purchases and expenditures. These range from multimillion-peso construction of barangay halls or acquisition of service vehicles, all the way to the smallest birthday gift to senior citizens and snacks during council meetings.

The kontratista overprices the expenditures and purchases by 30 to 300 percent, or even more. He splits the loot with the chairman, the barangay treasurer, and councilmen. Everybody happy, everybody quiet.

Kickbacks per year can total hundreds of thousands to tens of millions of pesos. That’s why aspirants for chairman, treasurer, councilman kill for the post.

A spouse, offspring, or councilman usually succeeds the termed-out chairman. The kontratista stays.

The Sangguniang Kabataan chairperson automatically sits in the barangay council as ex-officio member. S/he also automatically partakes off the kickbacks.

The SK has its own project expenditures and purchases. These two are done through the kontratista. Again, these are overpriced 30 to 300 percent, or more. The SK chairperson, treasurer, and youth kagawad share the loot.

It’s easy to spot the kontratista. S/he’s the one who wears too much jewelry. The crook invariably flaunts the fruits of her/his corruption. S/he also hovers around meetings and huddles at barangay halls, eavesdropping for new potential deals.

The Dept. of Interior and Local Government oversees the 42,010 barangay and 41,995 SK councils. Sec. Jonvic Remulla reportedly strives to clean up local government units.

Meanwhile the Ombudsman has power to discipline crooked barangay and SK officials. “I can dismiss those who do not do their jobs,” Sec. Jonvic’s brother Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla told the Senate finance committee on Sept. 3. “All we need is a substantiated complaint, a complaint that people will stand up to, will try to prove to us that we can utilize this power given to us by the law.”

May the Remulla brothers clean up sleazy barangay councils and SKs. DILG can construct more provincial, city, and municipal jails to lock up barangay and SK crooks. Multiply Ombudsman personnel to handle complaints against barangay and SK councils.

Congress should not postpone barangay and SK elections. It should instead enact laws for more transparency with barangay and SK funds, stronger people’s audits, and stricter performance rules for grassroots officials.

Stop China’s continual bullying of the Asian Games. In 20th ASIAD, Sept. 19 – Oct. 4, let Taiwan compete as Taiwan.

At today’s opening ceremonies in Nagoya, China will again compel organizers to make Taiwan athletes wear uniforms of Chinese Taipei. This demeans not only Taiwan’s sportsmen and women, but also countries that allow bullying even in sports.

“This indignity has gone on long enough,” international relations specialist Lindell Lucy writes in Japan Times. “Before the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, more than 131,000 people signed online petitions calling on the International Olympic Committee to allow Taiwan to compete as ‘Taiwan’ rather than ‘Chinese Taipei.’

“Although Taiwanese athletes were ultimately required to attend the Opening Ceremony wearing Chinese Taipei uniforms, Japanese TV announcers, who were not bound by IOC rules, introduced the athletes as representing Taiwan. The incident sparked a massive outpouring of appreciation across Taiwan.”

Filipino sports editors, writers, and commentators can do the same in ASIAD. Taiwan, not Chinese Taipei, is the Philippines’ closest northern neighbor. The Philippine island of Y’Ami (Mavulis) is only 98 kilometers from the nearest Taiwanese territory, Orchid Island.

At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Taiwan’s men’s badminton doubles team won its second consecutive gold medal, defeating China for the championship, Lucy recalls. “Unfortunately, the victory was overshadowed by a heavy-handed crackdown on fans holding towels and signs bearing the word ‘Taiwan.’

“Images and video of Olympic security staff confiscating the items, as well as one Chinese spectator forcibly snatching a sign from the hands of a Taiwanese fan, went viral around the world, prompting Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to issue a statement condemning the incidents.”

There’s no such thing as Chinese Taipei. Taiwan consists of 14 counties and 23 cities, with Taipei the capital.

Taiwan is independent and democratic. It has an elected President and Parliament. Its navy and coastguard patrol its waters against Chinese intruders.

China Communist Party has never controlled Taiwan. Yet it flexes economic and military muscle to make Asian neighbors treat Taiwan as a CCP domain.

CCP propagandizes to take over Taiwan by 2027. It also claims to own Okinawa.

The Philippines is also a victim of CCP expansionism. CCP’s navy, coastguard, and maritime militia vessels menace Batanes, Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, Kalayaan (Spratly) Islands, and Palawan’s Recto (Reed) Bank.

CCP likewise trespasses waters of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

Catch Sapol radio show, Saturdays, 8 to 10 a.m., DWIZ (882-AM).

Follow me on Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/Jarius-Bondoc

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