Most Cebu traders prefer to keep quiet about bribery

SWS survey:  Businessmen are committed to ‘honest and clean’ transactions with government

Only 2 out of 100 businessmen and corporate executives in Metro Cebu admitted having been solicited for a bribe from a government agency.

Metro Cebu recorded the lowest incidence, at 2 percent, of bribe solicitations based on the 2014-2015 Annual Enterprise Survey on Corruption (AESC) by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

The National Capital Region and Davao both posted an incidence of 12 percent, followed by Cagayan de Oro–Iligan with 13 percent; Metro Iloilo, 20 percent; Cavite-Laguna-Batangas, 26 percent; and Metro Angeles, 43 percent.

Members of the Cebu  business community who attended the AESC Roadshow yesterday expressed surprise, then poked fun, at the results.

Donato Busa, president of the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the local businessmen’s reluctance to report bribes may be traced to the cultural influence of Chinese merchants.

“Ang pamatasan nato sa negosyo sa una parehas sa Chinese (How we conduct business is similar to the Chinese),” Busa said.

He said a Cebuano businessman would do what is needed to keep his business alive, even if it means keeping quiet about corruption.

“It´s better to shut up. We have to protect ourselves. Nobody tells,” he said, describing the mindset.

“This means the survival of the business.”

TOLERANCE

However, he said  the business community’s tolerance of corruption has reduced over the years.

Busa said that, as provided in a memorandum of agreement signed with the Ombudsman, the Mandaue chamber is prepared to support any member with a formal complaint on bribery or shady government dealings.

As a principle, he and many other businessmen have been practicing honest and clean transactions with government agencies. While some still try to   use bribes,  businessmen try to veer away from that.

“MCCI and City Hall have been working together in improving the system,” he said.

“The best way to combat corruption is to meet it head on as a business leader. I have been talking with City Hall for 10 years. If you leave the system the way it is, it will not get fixed,” he added.

The issue on corruption is also a hindrance to getting more investors in the city, as there are some investors who actively look for cities where bribery incidence is minimal, Busa said.

RESPONDENTS

The survey results, which SWS first presented in Manila in August, were based on face-to-face interviews with executives of 966 enterprises in the National Capital Region, Metro Angeles, Cavite-

Laguna-Batangas, Metro Iloilo, Metro Cebu, Metro Davao, and Cagayan de Oro-Iligan from Nov.  14, 2014 to May 12, 2015.

Of the 966 respondents, 100 were from Metro Cebu.

Linda Luz B. Guerrero, SWS vice president, said the survey showed that enterprises solicited for a bribe went down to 44 percent in the latest survey from 50 percent in 2012.

Other bribe solicitation results for Metro Cebu were   39 percent while getting local government permits; 36 percent while getting national permits; 33 percent in complying with import regulations; 23 percent in supplying government with goods and services; 21 percent in collecting receivables from the government; and 11 percent in availing of government incentives.

SINCERITY

The survey also gave a glimpse of businessmen´s views on how sincere government agencies are in fighting corruption. Out of the 36 institutions that were judged, 21 were listed as favorable, 9 neutral and 6 unfavorable.

The Bureau of Customs was rated 56%  and was  the only agency labeled “very bad.”

“I agree that BOC is still very bad. Unless they take care of the proper SGS and have an audit company inspect the boxes. I can say that they are improving but are still bad,” Busa said.