Sen. Ralph Recto yesterday said government agencies that are raising their fees and charges this year should prove to the public that they deserve the additional centavos or pesos to be paid to them in exchange for their sometimes sloppy and corruption-ridden service, a press release from Recto’s office said.

Recto said the government should also go easy on the planned increase in fees and charges in the face of looming adjustments in toll fees due to VAT, water and electricity rates, “sin taxes” and even the continued oil price increases.

He noted that some agencies listed down by the Department of Finance as gearing up to raise fees have been consistent “hall of famers” in the corruption or inefficiency department.

Recto cited the Bureau of Customs, which plans to raise its port fees and charges by 50 to 200 percent, which have consistently landed in the top five most corrupt agencies in respectable surveys done in 2009, 2010 and in March 2011, the press release said.

He said even the National Bureau of Investigation, which is among the first agencies sought out by job seekers for their ‘prized’ document, could not even provide seamless service in disposing their NBI clearance document, leaving thousands of young unemployed distraught and disappointed.

The NBI plans a 50-percent increase in its fees.

Recto stressed other agencies like the Professional Regulation Commission, National Telecommunications Commission, and Securities and Exchange Commission should also justify their planned 20 to 30 percent increase in fees and charges, the press release said.

He also criticized the Department of Energy for planning to raise fees despite its failure to fully assure the seething public that the series of oil prices hikes that were enforced by oil companies were not overpriced or rigged, it added.

A DOF official has announced that some agencies, which are in the frontline of government service, will have to raise their fees and charges by as much as 200 percent to shore up non- tax revenues for an estimated annual incremental revenue of P4.15 billion, the press release said.*

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