By Dr. Dencio S. Acop (Ret. Col.)
Korupsyon! – or corruption! This is the word we hear so much about these days in the Philippines. It is a word that evokes both anger and sadness. We feel anger at the brazenness of supposedly elected representatives who make a killing in stealing the people’s money, in order, to enrich themselves. Then we also feel sadness — knowing that poverty is massive in the country affecting about half of the population. How can people be so heartless? How can these people be so evil? The very reason we need a government is so that it can look out for the most critical needs of the citizenry, especially those who are most vulnerable. Today, the exact opposite is what’s happening. We have senators and congressmen who, instead of doing their jobs, as they are sworn to, use up their power and time in office to amass as much wealth as they can at the expense of the people. To address the backlash from the people, these corrupt politicians scheme up maneuvers to appease the public. For instance, they pass legislation to give “ayudas” (dole-outs) to the poor. While these “ayudas” may appear to do some good, they are not what the poor and vulnerable really need. The dole-outs also cover up the nefarious activities of the scheming politicians and make them appear good before the eyes of the general public. Moreover, dole-outs, which are common in the Philippines, are a popular means by which corrupt politicians try to wash away their sins against the people justifying themselves for it. But dole-outs are not what these legislators are there for. Legislators are lawmakers and it is their responsibility to come up with the best laws possible to effectively address the most critical public-policy problems of the Philippines. Instead of “ayudas”, a policy that would really help the poorest of the poor families is how to make affordable quality education be accessible to them. Another policy that would really be helpful is just how not to touch enacted public funds slated to address disasters, dilapidated and lacking infrastructure, and healthcare, just to name a few of these serious public concerns.
Corruption is not only a material issue, but a moral one. The corruption scandals that we hear about in the Philippines no longer involves just millions but even billions of money lost to crime involving government officials. The amounts we hear about are just mind boggling! Back in the day, except for one or two big ones, corruption would amount to just tens or hundreds of thousands. This is not to say that lesser amounts of it are any less wrong. Corruption is corruption no matter the amount involved. Ultimately, the real tragedy from corruption is in losing the soul more than just the pesos or dollars. Herein lies the danger because people get so accustomed to corruption and treat it as if there is nothing wrong with it. While there has always been a culture of corruption that has only gotten worse over the years, it still does not mean that it ought to be accepted by all as a normal culture. Let me emphasize that corruption, in all its forms, is a dysfunctional culture. By its very nature, corruption is an undermining of all our values – spiritual and material. It is the disordered acquisition of wealth, power, honor, and pleasure – all worldly values. On the other hand, there is nothing wrong with the pursuit of these worldly values so long as this pursuit is ordered which means that it is not done at the expense of the rule of law and moral order. There are higher and lower order reasons and concerns why mankind needs to live within the bounds of the moral order and rule of law. Higher order concerns have to do with peace of mind, the pursuit of happiness, and general well-being. Lower order concerns are those related to safety and security, sustenance, and healthcare. Both concerns promote the common good of the people. Only benevolent leadership truly promotes the common good benefiting the ordinary citizen. But this is a theory Y concept that is hard to come by in the world. Therefore, government was invented to administer the rule of law as a theory X construct and structure putting order into an otherwise chaotic and anarchic situation among peoples. However, as we have seen time and time again, good governance can only emanate from benevolent leadership among politicians and military commanders. Having said this, the allure and intoxication of power, nonetheless, have a way of corrupting weak human beings in its corridors turning them into the enemies of good governance and eventually the publics they are sworn to serve. Thus, as I’ve always said before, corruption is indeed the number one enemy of the state because once it has grown to unmanageable levels, it will ultimately weaken the state and thereby threaten its very existence. In this final analysis, the people as well, who have left to corrupt fools their fates as well as the fate of their country, reap what they’ve sown. Still, the corrupt and corrupted, by virtue of their pride and ego, refuse to take responsibility and accountability for their selfish actions, pointing to unstoppable forces as the culprit rather than themselves and their myopic self-centeredness.
Given such kind of a situation in the Philippines, there is absolutely no way that the corrupt can also be the savior of the corruption problem. How can the corrupt solve the problem of corruption? And if people are thinking that this is an indictment of BBM, they should think again, because this is no more an indictment of BBM as it is first an indictment of Sara Duterte. Both are corrupt politicians. Sara is even more corrupt because there is also blood on her hands, hers and her father’s (that is why he’s at The Hague). Let us never forget that corruption is not only material but moral. Haven’t you ever noticed that despite the so many bright and gifted Filipinos, there have only been very few who raised their voices in the face of the rampantly massive corruption (and even extra-judicial killings before) that has been going on in the country? While the November 30 rally is a good sign that people care and are no longer afraid to raise their voices to fight for the common good, the sustained voices of all good Filipinos who love their country are sorely needed. Also, people need to start forgetting their past and begin changing for the better. If one was a soldier or policeman who had followed illegal orders before, now is the time to only follow the legal ones or resign. Sometimes, it is better to find another job that allows one to sleep better at night. If one did some wrong before, now is the time to make things right. The problem with people is that they get stuck in their past. Because of pride and ego, some may prefer to stick with their comfort zones than change for the uncomfortable better. Some will go for the easier wrong than the harder right. Still, others may choose to stay with what’s familiar than move on into the uncharted territory of change. I think life is all about change. There is no permanent right and wrong unless one chooses to forego opportunities for growth and change for the better. We are all this work in progress so long as we live. The situation in the Philippines is just one among many that is an opportunity for change, even radical change, for the better but not the worse. It doesn’t matter if one supported a bad politician before. One can learn from that and move on for the better. Even for the corrupt, it doesn’t matter if they were corrupt before so long as they are now willing to change for the better. There are this number of things that people can still do to redeem back their souls. Everything begins with honesty and sincerity; admitting our guilt and accepting responsibility for our actions. Then, we can try and do the right thing by what we’ve done, like returning some of what we’ve stolen, working for the rest, and doing time. I know it is a hard thing to do. But it’s the right thing to do. And it’s worth it too. The moment we decide to go back into the fold of righteousness, that peace of mind returns. We begin to sleep better at night. We no longer carry the mental baggage of guilt and shame. Our inner self-esteem comes back. We can look at ourselves in the mirror once again and talk to our conscience looking him straight in the eye. That is how each and everyone of us in the Philippines should address the massive corruption issue staring Filipinos in the face today: one individual soul at a time.