Leading Modest Public Lives

• Leading modest lives for public officials is important
• Presented by Atty Mary Antonette G Ordoño, Graft Investigation and Prosecution Officer
• Her office is the Public Assistance and Corruption Prevention Bureau, the Office of the Ombudsman—MOLEO

Learning Objectives

• The aim is to describe the lifestyle of typical Filipinos
• The hope is to appreciate the wisdom behind leading modest lives as public officials
• People should show that they can maintain a simple lifestyle

Filipino Lifestyle

• Important factors of the Filipino lifestyle is Government workers' salary, pattern of spending, saving, buying behavior, decision to buy
• People should consider what the lifestyle of government officials and employees should be

2023 Annual Poverty Indicators Survey

• Average family size is 4.1 (as of 2022)
• 62.1% of families own a house and lot
• 19.9% have a floor area of at least 50 sq. m
• 11.2% have a car, van, or jeep
• 50.0% have a refrigerator
• 56.1% of families have wage and salary employment (52.7% previously)
• 16.8% of families have entrepreneurial activity (17.1% previously)
• Average family income is 353.23
• Average family expenditures is 258.80/228.80
• 40.9% of family expenditures are on food (2017)
• 3.4% of family expenditures are on recreation and culture (2022)
• 22% of families experienced hunger once a week (2017)
• 24% of families have have loan in the last 6 months (2017)

Filipino’s Buying Behavior

• Value-conscious shoppers will compare prices
• 89.7% compare prices in 2 or more platforms or websites before purchasing an item
• 72.2% of users only started comparing prices in 2020, up from 2019
• Main factors driving purchase behavior is the quality of the product at between 90.3% and 94.7% of consumer's opinions
• Pricing influences between 91% and 95.8% of purchasing decisions
• Reviews are important to 85% of consumers
• Great customer service is only important to 63.9%
• Eco-friendliness also matters between 60% and 68%

Factors of buying behaviour

• Buying behaviour is a balance of psychology, demography, environment with marketing messages
• Psychology focuses on needs, personality, emotions and attitudes
• Demography looks at age, income, location & profession
• Environment is concerned with economic situation, social crises & fashion
• The marketing message creates powerful urges to buy

Section 4(h), R.A. 6713

• Requires public officials and employees and their families should lead modest lives appropriate to their positions and income
• They should not indulge in extravagant or ostentatious display of wealth in any form

Simple Living

• Simple living is not about being unexciting, cheap, poor, impoverished, stingy, frugal, broke, mundane, austere
• Simple living is not self-denial, dull, penniless, self-deprived, or boring

Meaning of Simple Living

• Maintaining a standard of living within the public official or employee’s visible means of income
• Income must be correctly disclosed in ITRs, annual SALN, and other documents relating to financial or business transactions, as per Section 8, Rule VI, IRR

Why Simple Living?

• Simple living helps people be sensitive to the plight of poor people
• Living simply helps to avoid the impression of abuse and unexplained wealth
• Choosing to live simply, people can resist the temptations in public office

Wants vs. Needs

• Wants are definitely not the same as Needs
• Wants are not equal to needs
• Wants should be less than Needs

Lifestyle

• Unexplained Wealth, Net Worth could be far greater than Legitimate Income
• Lavish lifestyle, Net Worth is far smaller that Legitimate Income