Money Talks

Monday, February 21, 2005

Do we always need to hand out extra money under the table to get things done? Do we always have to resort to shady deals in order to get what we want? If this is the case then I don’t think we’ll ever get things done – efficiently and effectively. They say money is the root or source of all evil. As what I’ve learned in one of my religion classes, money in itself isn’t really the root or source of all evil. Man’s greed and lust for money is what makes it evil. I went to the Mandaluyong City Hall this afternoon to have my NBI and police clearance processed as it is part of work's requirements. My sister and a colleague got theirs 4 days after so I couldn’t quite understand why mine would take at least a week to process. I need to pass work’s requirements as soon as possible because we’re on a very tight schedule. So when my driver told me that one of the persons-in-charge could get me my NBI clearance the very next day in exchange for an additional P250 (ang dugas! and then they have the nerve to change it to 2 days grrr!), I wasn’t so sure what to do. I was thinking I needed my clearance as soon as possible but on the other hand I didn’t want to give them the benefit of getting the better of me. I’ve always condemned the way our country’s systems work. Our country never progresses primarily because of rampant graft and corruption among government officials – from the executive branch to the legislative branch and on to the judicial branch. And just recently, I’ve experienced first hand a fraction of how corruption works at the lowest levels of government. How much more kaya at the higher levels of the government hierarchy? I can just imagine how massive graft and corruption is at the higher ranks. Just the thought of it makes me shudder. As much as I vehemently condemn any form of bribery or corruption, I was admittedly in one of my weakest moments to say the least. I gave in to bribery to save myself the hassle and so that I can pass my work requirements on time. I felt guilty afterwards as if I were such an unlawful citizen of this country. I even felt disappointed with myself for allowing myself to be part of their fraudulent activities. I felt so exasperated with the persons-in-charge. As obedient taxpayers of this country, we duly deserve to have access to well-functioning government services. As for me, I momentarily became one of those people whom I’ve always denounced. It’s those people who are more than willing to pay who make corruption a lot worse than it already is. For now, I’m guilty as charged. The next time something like this happens again, I’ll make sure that I’ll do the talking. I'll give them a piece of my mind and if that doesn't work, I'll call the attention of their supervisors. And if all else fails, I think I'll pray for them nalang (hehe).

* Off-topic: Good news is I found my driver’s license na! I've been praying to St. Anthony ever since. He never fails me talaga. Yahoo! =)