20/07/2026
WHAT ARE THE COMMON SIMPLE CORRUPT PRACTICES IN GOVERNMENT?
When people hear the word 'corruption', they often imagine multi-million-peso scandals, ghost projects, or high-profile bribery cases. But corruption does not always begin with large amounts. More often, it starts with small, seemingly harmless practices that gradually become part of the organizational culture.
Some common examples include:
1. When a training program is budgeted and paid for three nights of accommodation even though participants actually stay for only two nights. Instead of returning the payment for the unused night to the government, some organizers allegedly arrange with venue owners for the excess amount to be reimbursed or kicked back to them.
2. Official travel where transportation, accommodation, or meal expenses are inflated and the excess is shared among those involved.
3. Procurement transactions where suppliers provide commissions or kickbacks in exchange for favorable treatment.
4. Large purchase orders where the quantity delivered is less than what was actually paid for.
5. Splitting procurement transactions to avoid public bidding requirements.
6. Falsification of attendance sheets, travel claims, accomplishment reports, or liquidation documents.
7. Use of government vehicles, fuel, equipment, or personnel for private purposes.
8. Acceptance of gifts, favors, or "tokens of appreciation" from contractors, suppliers, or clients with pending transactions.
9. Ghost employees, ghost workers, or payroll padding schemes.
10. Manipulation of inspection reports to certify completion of projects that are unfinished or substandard.
11. Unauthorized collection of fees not prescribed by law or regulation.
12. Deliberate delay in processing permits, licenses, or documents to encourage applicants to offer bribes.
The danger of these practices is that they are often dismissed as "ordinary," "minor," or "the way things have always been done." Yet it is precisely these small acts that normalize corruption and weaken the ethical foundations of public service.
Source: CES Exam Review Center FB Page
