Editorial
MALACAÑANG
has issued Administrative Order (AO) 31 raising to “reasonable”
levels fees and charges in all national government offices.
While the Palace insists that the new fees and charges would lead to
improved services to the public, the knee-jerk reaction to the new
directive has been negative, with accusations flying thick and fast
that the government is utterly insensitive to the plight of ordinary
people and that it amounts to “robbing the poor.”
A
closer reading of the executive fiat, however, would reveal that
it
is neither arbitrary nor unreasonable, as it clearly states that in
the determination of rates and the imposition of new fees and
charges, “a balance between recovering the cost of services
rendered and the socioeconomic impact of their imposition shall be
sought.”
Government
agencies cannot arbitrarily impose higher fees as a Task Force on
Fees and Charges consisting of the Department of Finance, the
Department of Budget and Management and the National Economic and
Development Authority would promulgate rules to implement and monitor
compliance with AO 31.
The
proof of the pudding is in the eating, however, and the public that
would have to cough up additional cash from their pockets have every
right to demand faster and more efficient, not to mention more
courteous, services from the government.
It’s
the overseas Filipino workers who will be among the first to feel the
pinch of higher fees. OFWs are already being charged P15,000 to
P30,000 for documentation needed for deployment formalities, on top
of a placement fee equivalent to one-month salary of those deployed.
The
existing fees cover an avalanche of requirements: authenticated birth
certificate, National Bureau of Investigation clearance and
authentication, authentication of school credentials, passport
application or renewal, community tax certificate, Philippine
Overseas Employment Administration processing fee, Pag-IBIG
membership fee, PhilHealth premium from P900 to P2,400 starting
January next year, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration membership
equivalent to $25, among other clearances and forms.
It’s,
therefore, understandable that OFWs, who seek greener pastures abroad
because they cannot find jobs here or want higher-paying jobs, are up
in arms over a possible increase in the fees charged by government
for them to be able to leave.
The
fee increases should be just and reasonable as to make them within
the reach of those who are already economically hard up.
And
the increased fees and charges should be properly accounted for and
result in measurable, as well as tangible, changes in service
delivery by government agencies. These changes should be duly
reported to the public by the concerned agencies as part of their
responsibility to ensure transparency and accountability.
The
Aquino administration needs all the revenues it can generate to fund
vital infrastructure and social services such as education and
health. But increases in fees and charges of government agencies
should be matched by a corresponding significant improvement in their
services. That’s what just and reasonable means.
No comments:
Post a Comment