The term “conflict of interest” keeps popping up when there is talk of government officials who amass wealth while they are in office. While there are laws prohibiting officials from making decisions on matters that affect them financially, this practice still dominates the landscape of public administration.
We know of mayors who are also contractors and engineers in the government who are likewise contractors. To top it all, they are also the suppliers of materials used in construction. Their influence happens all along the planning and implementation process.
There is a conflict of interest in legislation if the lawmakers pass laws that will benefit them or businesses that they own or have a significant interest in. Another example is accepting bribes from corporations to influence legislation.
A conflict-of-interest situation also happens when a government official pushes for government contracts that benefit companies owned by their relatives and close associates.
In these situations, there is a fusion of public welfare and private gain, with the latter usually having precedence.
Mayors who engage in these, camouflage their violation of conflict-of-interest rules by exchanging projects with other mayors. It is like, "I will give you a project in my town, but give me yours." The conflict-of-interest violation cannot be attributed to these local chief executives because their projects are not in their jurisdictions.
Are there laws penalizing conflict of interest? There are many, such as Republic Act No. 6713 (Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees), Republic Act No. 3019 (Anti-graft and Corrupt Practices Act), and the Revised Penal Code (Articles 210-212).
If there are many laws, why are practices that clearly show this violation still rampant and go unchecked? I can think of many reasons that point to human frailty, a weak moral resolve to act accordingly and expose these conflicts of interest. Those who initially show disdain can later heap praises on the violators of the rule. Perhaps the penalty is not strong enough, at most 15 years of imprisonment when considering the gravity of the offense it should be penalized by life imprisonment.
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