THE year-end comment from Tony Kwok, the world-renowned head of the anti-corruption league of Hong Kong, must be the most amazing he has made in his 27 years of fighting corruption.
He said that the Philippine government, which has enlisted his services, was making headway in fighting corruption. This was ignored by the media which reported only negative news which influenced surveyors of global corruption, such as Transparency International, to rank the Philippines among the most corrupt countries.
Such surveys were based on perception, he said. These statements seem odd, coming from Tony Kwok.
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Businessmen agree that smuggling has never stopped flourishing in the Port of Manila and in the outports.
The smuggle in textiles, garments, cigarettes, rice, cars, motorcycles, gasoline, and diesel, among others.
Car manufacturers and the few remaining textile mills may complain. There is no anti-smuggling champion to come to their rescue.
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Remember that after the Oakwood mutineers raised the issue of corruption in the AFP and the plight of soldiers stuck with worn-out boots in Mindanao, the military said it would buy new boots.
For transparency, the bidding for the boots would be handled by then Budget Secretary Emilia Boncodin, the saving grace of the administration. Then the military quietly held the bidding itself, resulting again in charges of rigging the bid.
All bidders would source the boots from China. But specifications were tailored to favor the winner.
In his press conference, Kwok was reminded that he submitted damning evidence to the Ombudsman to pin former Justice Secretary Nani Perez to the alleged million money laundering case in a Hong Kong bank. The Ombudsman has resigned. His replacement has made no comment on the matter.
What gives? Tony Kwok also had no comment
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