Is Accountability Dead?

During the Christmas season, many people said that Christmas is dead because of the pandemic. 

My past posts reflected on this: Christmas is alive, and long after this crisis is solved, and the world shall come upon another crisis, Christmas is.

What seems to have died—many times over—in this country during the pandemic is accountability. And it was not caused by the virus. It was caused by arrogance, and the evil thought of “I can get away with it.”  

In 1995, then President Fidel V. Ramos issued Executive order No. 226 that institutionalized “command responsibility” in all government offices, particularly at all levels of command in the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other law enforcement agencies.  

Parts of the document read: “WHEREAS, a supervisor/commander is duty-bound and, as such, is expected to closely monitor, supervise, direct, coordinate, and control the overall activities of his subordinates within his area of jurisdiction, and can be held administratively accountable for neglect of duty in taking appropriate action to discipline his men . . . 

“SECTION 1.  Any government official . . . or officer of the Philippine National Police or that of any other law enforcement agency shall be held accountable for “Neglect of Duty” under the doctrine of “command responsibility” if he has knowledge that a crime or offense shall be committed, is being committed, or has been committed by his subordinates, or by others within his area of responsibility and, despite such knowledge, he did not take preventive or corrective action either before, during, or immediately after its commission . . .” 

The uniformed men of the Honorable General Debold Sinas, then Metro Manila PNP chief, blatantly threw him a birthday party (mananita), without masks and without social distancing. They imbibed prohibited alcoholic drinks. Beyond this, there are many cases of unresolved killings hounding him. 

Under the Executive Order above, he should be held accountable, right?  He was promoted instead. He is now the PNP chief.  

Recurring death? 

For years, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) had been trying to modernize toll collection on the expressways, but the system was never perfected. When toll collectors caught the new coronavirus, the DOTr shifted to electronic toll collection mandatory starting Dec. 1, even though the tollway operators did not have fail-proof systems.

Result: horrendous traffic stand-still on the expressways as RFID tags and sensors failed to work. 

The DOTr secretary, the Honorable Arthur Tugade, blamed and berated the toll operators, and washed his hands off the issue. Can accountability be delegated? 

And then there’s Honorable Francisco Duque, Secretary of Health, accused of “dropping the ball” . . . and Honorable Gen. Ricardo C. Morales, Chief of Philheath, accused of pocketing P15 billion . . . Honorable Senator Koko Pimental violating protocol . . . and Honorable Allan Peter Cayetano, accused of unliquidated P2 billion SEA games fund . . . and Honorable Brig. Gen. Jesus P. Durante III using smuggled vaccines for his men . . . and . . .

The names of honorables thinking, I can get away with it is endless. Let me end the list here, or my veins would burst while grieving over accountability.          

Management books tell us that leadership defines culture, and if a leader wants to create a culture of accountability, then it starts with him by modeling behaviors that he wants in an organization, because he is accountable for its failures and successes.  

Will accountability resurrect at another time? This has been my prayer before God's throne of Grace. 

“How long, O LORD, must I call for help?” (Habakkuk 1:2 NLT)