Biz leaders lament ‘deep-rooted corruption’ in gov‘t agencies

BUSINESS organizations in Cebu are calling on government officials and businessmen to stop engaging in corrupt practices, following the revelation of the “tara cartel” at the Bureau of Customs (BOC) by Senator Panfilo Lacson last Wednesday.

Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) president Glenn Anthony Soco said the disclosure of the so-called tara cartel should serve as a reminder for those in the public and private sectors to avoid corruption.

“Our businessmen and customs officials need to be reminded that they should not be corrupt… This has to be cleared, this clearly has to stop,” he said.

But Soco also said government officials should have a bigger share of the accountability for participating in corrupt practices.

“It’s actually the officials themselves who carry the bigger responsibility because they are in government office. They’re supposed to protect the taxpayers… They should also set themselves as an example to other agencies. It’s a very bad indication of how our government system works,” he explained.

Melanie Ng, president of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) backed the calls of their counterpart in Mandaue City to stop corruption.

She was also saddened that several businessmen, some of them whose names were included in the tara list and can be traced in Cebu, are involved in corruption together with government officials.

“We lament the effects of deep-rooted corruption that has been uncovered in the various Philippine agencies including BOC,” Ng said.

In the meantime, she suggested an improvement of government systems and processes as a measure to prevent corruption.

“We need to complement third party investigations with comprehensive analysis, detailed and time-bound action agenda… to address system and process changes,” said Ng.

“This is among the priority ‘to do’ list of the administration that the business community has shared with the current administration especially during the recent Sulong Pilipinas 2017 conference in Manila with the President, attended by business leaders of various chambers,” she added.