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"Be mindful of the little (and big) things your life."
All those Little Things and Bad Things (and the DPWH conundrum) (3:16)
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All those Little Things and Bad Things (and the DPWH conundrum) (3:16)
A thread
(3:16)
The recent conundrum between the Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) and the Commission of Audit (COA) made me cringe the other night. I might as well quote Inquirer in this:
The recent conundrum between the Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) and the Commission of Audit (COA) made me cringe the other night. I might as well quote Inquirer in this:
“The COA found that the completion or implementation of 2,411 projects worth P101.69 billion were delayed because of inadequate detailed engineering due to lack of coordination with local governments and other government agencies, and failure to establish the technical…
…viability of the projects during the feasibility and preliminary engineering study.
This includes P65.989 billion for 1,740 projects that were not completed within the specified contract time, P31.051 billion for 550 projects that were suspended, and P1.44 billion for 40 terminated projects.
But this is apart from 81 projects worth P3.206 billion that have not started at all, the COA said, and technical defects worth P376.138 million have been found in 461 projects.” – ( https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1350557/coa-flags-184-dpwh-projects-exceeding-approved-budget)
Mind-boggling,">https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1350557/c... isn’t it?
Mind-boggling,">https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1350557/c... isn’t it?
What was more cringe worthy was their excuse for the delay of some of the projects: lack of communication between the DPWH and the local government.
For people whom we have elected and have been entrusted with our taxes, shouldn’t we be at least more demanding of their qualifications?
I’m sure there are more anomalies found in other sectors of the government but this case with the DPWH makes two things quite clear: first, little things add up to become big things, and second, big things can unconsciously affect small things.
The P101.69 billion worth of delay in projects, when scanned under a magnifying glass, can reveal to us three kinds of tax payers: the big, wealthy corporations and/or private individuals, the humble middle-class citizens and the low to minimum-wage earners.
Though the TRAIN law may have excluded income tax returns from those earning P 250,000 per annum, it did not spare those making enough to have a life. Think of nurses, teachers, photographers and accountants.
Though not exceedingly poor yet also not unspeakably rich, these are the ones also greatly hit by the pandemic. Every cent and peso they give to the government for tax is money that could be spent for food, housing and education of children.
This money could have been spent to make a brand new hobby or do something that would fulfill them personally but instead would go into the public coffers of the country.
Their taxes can be technically and relatively small but I don’t think they would be fine knowing that their tax is just gathering dust or worse wasted upon by corrupt officials.
If you were to give something important to someone and they would just throw it away or keep it in neglect, how would you feel?
The same feelings go with our taxes.
The taxes that come from these people—not to mention that everybody technically pays tax whenever we buy products that have Value Added Tax (VAT)—and the big corporations are our precious gifts that we could have spent for personal realization.
Little things, when added up, can pack a big punch.
And when the billions-worth of delay of projects translate into roads, schools and bridges, they affect the lives especially of the poorest of the poor. Imagine a government project, a school, that could possibly improve the lives and future of hundreds of children in a barrio.
The hopes of little children making their dreams come true and helping their family cross the poverty line can be crushed by the simple delay or even by poorly constructed school buildings.
Haven’t we known what little bits of corruption in contracts of road construction really feel like in our ride experiences? How much more the denied futures of children?
Little things and big things. The micro and macro. One isn’t more important or more negligible than the other. Like dominoes, a bad move in our government can ruin the lives of an entire country.
So always be mindful of the little (and big) things your life.
So always be mindful of the little (and big) things your life.
DOMINO EFFECT by OZMA https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4Zd3SpWqT7mHxCrggjjGwx?si=yzAVdBx3RS2fAm8uazlAaQ">https://open.spotify.com/playlist/...
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