#2 Corruption at the Personal Level: The Filipino Family in Focus

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"A government, for protecting business only, is but a carcass, and soon falls by its own corruption and decay."-Amos Bronson Alcott

"The more corrupt the state, the more laws." -Publius Cornelius Tacitus

 "Corruption never has been compulsory." -Anthony Eden

The Fiery Debate

CORRUPTION NEVER fails to ignite the passions of those who are well-versed with the issue. Words erupt like flamethrowers as Prof. Robin Garcia graced the initiation of a well-heated debate. Various students got engaged with the topic and I was no exception.

I contributed to the fiery exchange of thoughts and I ignited it further when I made mention of the "acceptable level of corruption". The opponents of my posited idea was heart-warming, there are others who still believe that it is possible to eradicate corruption in its entirety. However, being exposed to the reality of it - both in class (as a political science major) and in real life (with friends being elected into government positions), I was (and would never be shaken) when I say that corruption had come and is here to stay.

Corruption has not only tainted the morals of people but also curbed their behavior into creating a norm that corruption is "the thing" that is beyond any virtuous' control. It is not about being pessimistic - but realistic enough not to be blinded by the normative stance of "what ought to be". Because "what ought to be" is too ideal for a very pragmatic, materialistic and realistic world and time such as ours.

My second blog entry tackles my extended view on corruption as what was discussed during class. Holding on to my position that corruption can never be eradicated in any government around the world, I attempt to re-allign the "idea" of corruption with the fact that in modern times, it has already taken a systemic and institutional stance under the lens of the Postmodern approach.

Not Just in RP

When we speak of corruption, we speak in general terms. It could refer to small-scale up to large-scale theft. It does not only pertain to a government official's misuse of government resources, it could also be associated with [the corruption] of morals, civil society and many more. However, here in the Philippines, when we invoke the term "corruption", it is oftentimes, if not always, associated with the government. This is what we call, in specific and formal terms, as political or government corruption.

Corruption vary in forms, too. It could be reflected via "bribery, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, patronage, graft, and embezzlement". Considering this alone, it can be surmised that all of these are ever-present in the Philippines.

However, corruption does not only exist in the Philippines of course. It is one of the many worldly realities that exists everywhere.

English: The Corruption Perceptions Index ranks countries and territories based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be. A country or territory’s score indicates the perceived level of public sector corruption on a scale of 0 - 100, where 0 means that a country is perceived as highly corrupt and 100 means it is perceived as very clean.

For the latest virtual result (Transparency International, 2012):
Click here: http://www.transparency.org/cpi2012/results

Needless to say, the irregularities caused by corruption highly impact many aspects of our living, not just in government. It affects our patterns of interaction, social web of relationships, adherence to the law, nation-building, government and structures, as well as institutions.

Important note: when we talk about corruption, we often mirror the facts by laying down hard, cold, data. There is the Transparency International, an anti-corruption NGO that specialized and pioneered the CPI or the Corruption Perception Index, among many others. However, what we fail to discuss is the roots of this culture. Why do I say culture? Because corruption is no longer suspended at the level of the transactional but also systems and institutions. And when I speak of institutions, I speak of both formal and informal channels by which patterns of norms, behavior and traditions can be observed. People oftentimes misunderstand institutions and structure which pertain, fundamentally (inter alia), to the bureaucracy. To give a better glimpse of this idea, let us study the Philippine experience.

Philippines: (as of 2010)

• 20 percent of the national budget is lost to corruption each year.

• At PhP 1.541 trillion (2010 budget) PhP 9,765 or USD 217 is lost to corruption EVERY SECOND.

• USD 18 million dollars wasted EVERY DAY to corruption.

• The annual figure lost to corruption to be PhP 250 billion (USD 5.5 billion).

 Of course, these statistics are just estimates. We would never know the exact extent to which government officials actually pocket a part of the budget entrusted to them. Needless to say, corruption is an illicit trade that have been accepted to be a part of the Philippine experience. (Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project, http://www.transparencyreporting.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=73&Itemid=79)

Filipino's Homes as the Spring-bed of Corruption: The Postmodern Approach

People tend to look at the larger picture rather than rationalizing at the level of the specific. I have always asked why but sometimes I come into a conclusion that this stance is deliberate. Because to look at the specific is to look at ourselves and where we went wrong. And mistakes are not one of the many things that most people would gladly take account for.

Just like what I said previously, it is high-time for us to actually look at the phenomena of corruption at the level of our everyday lives. And here, I would like invoke the Postmodern Approach by analyzing this culture which is taking root into our very homes.

When children are actually being bargained with by parents to act in a certain way in exchange for rewards, be it in school, competitive sports and so on, parents are not only creating a reward system mechanism that motivates their children to do better, they are also inculcating the culture of corruption into the youngsters' minds. It creates an environment (perceived to be ok) wherein it is okay to receive rewards for something that is done even though it is not in light of what is voluntarily done - it is called bribery, we just won't admit it. Children will grow up believing that it is okay, therefore passing on the same trend to their children. There are so many examples but this is the one that always appeal to me.

We oftentimes blame the big people when we are faced with difficult situations. By neglecting the fact that everything starts at the level of the personal, we will never root out corruption for it has already taken root from society's most basic unit - the family, and the home. Not unless we recognize this and our participation to larger picture of corruption, we will never be able to curb it to the maximum extent.But all hope is not lost. Everything starts from recognition and then, resolution.✻


Partial Data Set of Current Rankings (Transparency International)
"The Corruption Perceptions Index ranks countries and territories based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be. A country or territory’s score indicates the perceived level of public sector corruption on a scale of 0 - 100, where 0 means that a country is perceived as highly corrupt and 100 means it is perceived as very clean. A country's rank indicates its position relative to the other countries and territories included in the index. This year's index includes 176 countries and territories."

Country Rank	Country /   Territory	CPI 2012 Score
1	Denmark	90
1	Finland	90
1	New Zealand	90
4	Sweden	88
5	Singapore	87
6	Switzerland	86
7	Australia	85
7	Norway	85
9	Canada	84
9	Netherlands	84
11	Iceland	82
12	Luxembourg	80
13	Germany	79
14	Hong Kong	77
15	Barbados	76
16	Belgium	75
17	Japan	74
17	United Kingdom	74
19	United States	73
20	Chile	72
20	Uruguay	72
22	Bahamas	71
22	France	71
22	Saint Lucia	71
25	Austria	69
25	Ireland	69
27	Qatar	68
27	United Arab Emirates	68
29	Cyprus	66
30	Botswana	65
30	Spain	65
32	Estonia	64
33	Bhutan	63
33	Portugal	63
33	Puerto Rico	63
36	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	62
37	Slovenia	61
37	Taiwan	61
39	Cape Verde	60
39	Israel	60
41	Dominica	58
41	Poland	58
43	Malta	57
43	Mauritius	57
45	Korea (South)	56
46	Brunei	55
46	Hungary	55
48	Costa Rica	54
48	Lithuania	54
50	Rwanda	53
51	Georgia	52
51	Seychelles	52
53	Bahrain	51
54	Czech Republic	49
54	Latvia	49
54	Malaysia	49
54	Turkey	49
58	Cuba	48
58	Jordan	48
58	Namibia	48
61	Oman	47
62	Croatia	46
62	Slovakia	46
64	Ghana	45
64	Lesotho	45
66	Kuwait	44
66	Romania	44
66	Saudi Arabia	44
69	Brazil	43
69	Macedonia	43
69	South Africa	43
72	Bosnia and Herzegovina	42
72	Italy	42
72	Sao Tome and Principe	42
75	Bulgaria	41
75	Liberia	41
75	Montenegro	41
75	Tunisia	41
79	Sri Lanka	40
80	China	39
80	Serbia	39
80	Trinidad and Tobago	39
83	Burkina Faso	38
83	El Salvador	38
83	Jamaica	38
83	Panama	38
83	Peru	38
88	Malawi	37
88	Morocco	37
88	Suriname	37
88	Swaziland	37
88	Thailand	37
88	Zambia	37
94	Benin	36
94	Colombia	36
94	Djibouti	36
94	Greece	36
94	India	36
94	Moldova	36
94	Mongolia	36
94	Senegal	36
102	Argentina	35
102	Gabon	35
102	Tanzania	35
105	Algeria	34
105	Armenia	34
105	Bolivia	34
105	Gambia	34
105	Kosovo	34
105	Mali	34
105	Mexico	34
105	Philippines	34
113	Albania	33
113	Ethiopia	33
113	Guatemala	33
113	Niger	33
113	Timor-Leste	33
118	Dominican Republic	32
118	Ecuador	32
118	Egypt	32
118	Indonesia	32
118	Madagascar	32
123	Belarus	31
123	Mauritania	31
123	Mozambique	31
123	Sierra Leone	31
123	Vietnam	31
128	Lebanon	30
128	Togo	30
130	Côte d´Ivoire	29
130	Nicaragua	29
130	Uganda	29
133	Comoros	28
133	Guyana	28
133	Honduras	28
133	Iran	28
133	Kazakhstan	28
133	Russia	28
139	Azerbaijan	27
139	Kenya	27
139	Nepal	27
139	Nigeria	27
139	Pakistan	27
144	Bangladesh	26
144	Cameroon	26
144	Central African Republic	26
144	Congo Republic	26
144	Syria	26
144	Ukraine	26
150	Eritrea	25
150	Guinea-Bissau	25
150	Papua New Guinea	25
150	Paraguay	25
154	Guinea	24
154	Kyrgyzstan	24
156	Yemen	23
157	Angola	22
157	Cambodia	22
157	Tajikistan	22
160	Democratic Republic of the Congo	21
160	Laos	21
160	Libya	21
163	Equatorial Guinea	20
163	Zimbabwe	20
165	Burundi	19
165	Chad	19
165	Haiti	19
165	Venezuela	19
169	Iraq	18
170	Turkmenistan	17
170	Uzbekistan	17
172	Myanmar	15
173	Sudan	13
174	Afghanistan	8
174	Korea (North)	8
174	Somalia	8