This poses an ethical problem in public administration. The goal is to restore public ethics in two senses: first, to foster civic education; and second, to comply with regulations to mitigate corruption in general. But let's return to the issue of receiving gifts. The public servant received the gift. Second, to ensure strict compliance with regulations through clear procedures, effective controls, and proportional sanctions, so that the law is not a dead letter, but a real tool to mitigate corruption and protect the public interest. The author is a professor at the University of Panama and a researcher at SNI-SENACyT. In Article 35 of the Uniform Code of Ethics for Public Servants, in the chapter on prohibited benefits, it is very clear that: “The public servant shall not, directly or indirectly, for himself or for third parties, request, accept, or admit money, gifts, benefits, presents, favors, promises, or other advantages in the following situations:”, in particular: “When it is determined that they would not have been offered or given if the recipient were not holding that office or performing that function.” Another of our major problems is the abuse of authority, which manifests when those in power exercise it for personal, discriminatory, or illegal purposes, especially in a presidential country, where we see how personalistic decisions are imposed that undermine public trust. We insist that returning to public ethics requires two complementary actions: investing in civic education and the ethical education of public servants and citizens, so that they understand why these limits are essential and act with responsibility and civic spirit; and, in addition, strengthening the teaching of ethics in the education system. It might seem like a trivial matter or a good faith gesture from a citizen. It is also a matter of not being saints waiting for a miracle, as Chuchú Martínez would say. The problem is not only the micro-corruption that occurs in our institutions and that we have normalized, such as nepotism, etc. The problem is corruption in general, which costs the State billions of dollars. Recently, I saw that an elected official was given a chicken.
