Examples for officialdom

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor CHERYL CRUZ Desk Editor NIDA A. BUENAFE Sports Editor RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

Two items reported in the national dailies in the past three days demonstrated the need and importance of cleansing the ranks of officials in this country who are themselves the worst examples in a country trying to rid itself of the reputation of pervasive graft and corruption in practically all levels.

One of the items involved the conviction of a former member of the Board of Examiners of the Board of Nursing of the Philippine Regulation Commission, the agency that administers the examinations to determine the graduates who qualify to practice the profession they have chosen.

In this case, the former examiner was found guilty of leaking the questions for the 2006 nurses examination and was sentenced to six years imprisonment, fined P100,000, and also disqualified for life from any position in public office.

In the other case, a judge of the Metropolitan Trial Court in Cities of Koronadal, and his clerk of court, have been charged by the Sandiganbayan for pocketing about P1 million in bail money from September 1993 to September 2001. The charges against them were filed by the Supreme Court Administrator himself.

It is indeed very disheartening to see such examples of misbehavior from people entrusted with such big responsibilities over matters involving morals and ethics of which they are supposed to be models.

In the case of the Nursing examiner, her act has, naturally, affected the credibility of the examinations where she had played a role. As for the judge and his employee, how could the litigants they had dealt with ever be convinced, after this exposure, that they had handled the cases under them with integrity, fairness and honesty?

Their examples, as well as those of our elected officials, including those in the Senate and the House of Representatives who are now on the docket for similar corrupt acts, are very disappointing and disheartening especially to the youth. It is therefore a hopeful sign for our country that the present administration has been clamping down on such misfits in office, and has managed to have so many of them charged before the courts.

Their situation now should warn others of the consequences they may face should they, too, succumb to the temptations in their workplace.*