We have always known about it. Government wasting money by renting offices for its agencies.
Learning about it again, in 2024 is like being stabbed and then the knife is churned in your innards to assure extreme prejudice. How can a government not build such offices?
As we learned the other day, during the inauguration of the new regional office building for the Philippine Information Agency, there are quite a number of office-less national line agencies in this region. And it took 35 years for the PIA building to be put up.
It would be unthinkable for a private firm to be spending a lot of money as rental for offices if it has vacant parcels of land where an office can be built. But then again, private firms are being run by people with common sense, at the very least. Our government officials do not have that or it is being directed elsewhere.
The government has lands. It wastes bigabucks every time to corruption, a mere fraction of which can finance the putting up of buildings to house all public offices. And yet here we are.
One big reason is the lack of political will to do good for the people. Everybody in government is just concentrated in looking for ways to satisfy his or her vested interest, forgetting the reason for is or her being there. Thus a simple red tape in the process will make officials take the point of least resistance. Just pay rent.
There was this case in a nearby province where a regional office was spending a lot for office rentals. Then it was found out the head of office was the beneficial owner of the building being rented.
Typical in this beloved country of ours.**