Church joins local government to curb graft

Calapan vicariate on Mindoro Island has helped train public officials in good governance.

Bishop Warlito Cajandig of Calapan

From Oct. 16-Dec. 4, Father Jimson Ruga, the Calapan social action center head, gave formation sessions to village government officials in collaboration with the Calapan City government.

“We admit the Church´s failure,” evident in the corruption that exists in Philippine society, Bishop Warlito Cajandig of Calapan told UCA News ahead of International Anti-Corruption Day, Dec. 9. “We need to intensify our values formation,” he said.

The Philippines tied for 139th place with Bangladesh, Belarus and Pakistan on the list of 180 countries surveyed for the 2009 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) in a report released by Transparency International (TI).

The list ranks countries from least to most in the level of perceived corruption.

In Calapan vicariate, the Church sponsored seminars focused on ethical matters including “character in politics, transparency and accountability.”

Mayor Salvador Leachon of Calapan had instructed the urban planning and development office to organize seminars on accountability and ethics. The office asked Father Ruga to run the seminars.

Father Ruga told each group of 80 participants that public service is a sacred duty. He talked about compassion in service, the Filipino sense of delicadeza (propriety) and hiya (shame), and appropriate demonstrations of gratitude, to avoid exploitation by politicians.

Former seminarian Joey Bautista, now working with the local urban planning and development office, told UCA News that participants wrote in their evaluation of a “re-awakening” of their desire to serve people.

Bautista said he recommended the seminars be continued beyond the general and presidential elections in May.

Father Andy Peter Lubi, head of formation for the vicariate, plans to launch a lay movement for good politics in late December. The priest and his core group have been conducting sessions in schools on Church social teachings related to politics.

The group will hold activities promoting transparency and accountability in local government. “It´s not enough that we conduct voters´ education,” he said. “We must monitor performance of officials and support good initiatives to encourage public accountability.”

This year´s UN anti-corruption day theme was “Don´t Let Corruption Kill Development.”