BUCOT, Maria Alizah L.

BSA 4A
2ND ACTIVITY FINALS – HBO

Site 5 unethical practices from government agencies/officials or private companies in the Philippines. 
Explain each situation/practice and why it is considered unethical (paragraph form).  10 pts each.

1. BRIBERY
Bribery is defined as an act in which money, or a gift is given in order to
influence the recipient's behavior. This is one of the most common unethical
government practices. A practice used to conceal misappropriation of funds,
fraudulent activities among officials, and even crimes committed by them. When
a government official misuses or misappropriates funds, such as pocketing funds
intended for public projects like building infrastructures, he usually bribes his
subordinates or anyone else involved in order to cover up his unethical act while
profiting from it. Also, when a government official wants to conceal or hide a
crime or fraudulent actions that may somehow tarnish his reputation or even
disqualify him, he will bribe a lot of people just to save his own skin and to never
have to pay for his actual crimes. In addition to being unethical, bribery is clearly
an illegal act, because it increases wealth inequality and supports corrupt
regimes. Bribery in government is almost always associated with immoral acts
that further oppress the poor and enrich only those who are in power in the
government, hence a great obstacle to democracy and a hindrance to a
comprising economic development.

2. EMBEZZLEMENT
Embezzling is the act of taking money that has been placed in someone's
trust but actually belongs to someone else. This is an unethical act because it
involves using money intended for something or someone else for personal gain.
What distinguishes it from simple theft is that the money or property is placed in
trust and under obligation to be safeguarded and used for its intended purpose.
Government officials are frequently accused, if not actually guilty, of this. They
are placed in positions of responsibility to appropriate funds for good purposes,
but driven by greed and abuse of power, they take public funds and use them for
selfish enrichment or even for their own businesses. Embezzlement can begin
with a government clerk stealing money from transactions. The money from
 those transactions was meant for public use, but the clerk kept it for himself or
herself. That may seem like a small amount, but if tolerated and ignored, it will
inevitably result in significant losses not only for the government, but primarily for
the public. Government officials may also embezzle by creating fake or ghost
employees and paying those employees only to enrich themselves. This unethical
practice is an immoral act that impedes the country's prosperity and inclusive
growth by allowing only those in power to profit from those trusted funds.

3. EXTORTION
Extortion is a coercive act in which a person unlawfully obtains money,
property, or services from another person, entity, or institution. Besides from
being an unethical act, it is widely considered as a crime punishable with
imprisonment. In the government, it is an oppressive misuse of the power
consisting of an illegal taking of money by a government officer usually through a
threat that does not necessarily involve physical injury to be considered as
extortion. Threats to harm the victim's business – given that a government official
has the power to influence such business – and threats to either testify against
the victim or withhold testimony necessary to his or her defense or claim in an
administrative proceeding or a lawsuit are also sufficient to constitute extortion.
This unethical and illegal practice within the government not only corrupts money
or power, but it also demoralizes people's freedom as well as the prevalence of
truth and justice.

4. NEPOTISM
Nepotism can also be called in layman’s term as favoritism – a form of
preferential treatment granted to relatives or close friends by someone who is in
position or in power, more often a government official. It is an act of abusing
one’s power to offer a job or a favor to a family member while disregarding their
merit or qualification. Nepotism is an unethical practice in government as, in a
larger scale, it can actually cause massive corruption scandals. When a relative or
close friend is appointed by one of the higher ups or even an executive official,
there is a high likelihood that his work will be partially favored or even given a
pass from objective inspections due to the fact that he is a friend or family
member of a higher official. Furthermore, if that family member oversees publicly
funded projects, there is a possibility that the official who granted him that power
 will use that opportunity to embezzle funds for their personal gain. Another
Nepotism practice that can lead to an ineffective governance is the incompetence
of the appointed close friend or family member. As nepotism implies ignoring
credentials and qualifications, the government's long-term goals may suffer
significant setbacks. Those appointed can only be there for personal gain or to
secure power, not to serve the public in a competent and impartial manner.

5. HARASSMENT
Harassment in the government can take many different forms. It could be
done verbally, in writing, physically, or visually. Other systematic problems that
lead to harassment that affect government workers, aside from sexual or physical
harassment, include microaggression, discrimination, bullying, and violence.
Sexual harassment has been pervasive, particularly by higher-ranking officials who
target vulnerable government employees. They may harass them not only
physically, but also verbally or through text messaging. This is most often done
between peers or by a subordinate to a superior. This is not only unethical, but it
is also an administrative offense. Exploitation is another form of government
harassment. Government agencies, branches, and departments frequently use a
hierarchical structure that places lower-ranking employees under the supervision
of higher-ranking employees. Some in higher positions tend to use their power to
exploit employees, and those who report to a manager or supervisor may end up
being silenced in fear of retaliation. Another form of this risk factor is power
disparities based on gender. Female employees, for example, may feel vulnerable
to exploitation and harassment in a male-dominated department if their
supervisors are mostly male. Most instances of harassment would almost
certainly be ignored, especially if the people to whom employees are supposed to
send internal complaints are the harassers themselves. Harassment must no
longer be treated as an isolated incident; rather, it should be viewed as an act of
terrorism against people's lives and a deterrent to their right to a healthy and safe
working environment.