Greed and Lack of Critical Thinking, the Twin Faults that exposed the current crop of Political Crooks
“ Corruption is a cancer, a cancer that eats away at a citizen’s faith in democracy, diminishes the instinct for innovation and creativity.” — Joe Biden, former president of the United States.
I find myself uncertain about the situation as I watched the Senate hearings on a significant investigation into the persistent corruption in our country. At its core, there is nothing new about this issue—corruption is an entrenched problem in the Philippines. It has become a political “Gordian Knot,” an institutionalized tradition that shows no signs of resolution and continues to mar the Filipino psyche. This epidemic is one for which no vaccine exists.
While we are not the worst offenders—indeed, not as dire as Venezuela or South Sudan—we still rank near the bottom two-thirds of the global corruption index. According to the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index, Denmark ranks first among 180 countries as the least corrupt. The Philippines, at rank 114, falls below Indonesia and Thailand, and significantly below Vietnam, which ranks at 88. The U.S. is also ranked lower than Canada (15) at 28. South Sudan is at the bottom of the list, rated as the most corrupt country with a score of 180/180. Surprisingly, Haiti and North Korea fare slightly better, ranking 168th and 170th, respectively.
Filipinos have become so accustomed to ongoing issues related to corruption that many of us have likely forgotten the true extent of the problem until it escalates into widespread protests that draw people into the streets. This recent unrest must be significant because, even during past years of corrupt leadership, I don’t recall a single large rally. The marches and demonstrations we’ve witnessed this time still do not compare to the riots in Nepal, which were sparked by the public’s frustration with corruption, the ostentatious lifestyles of government officials and their families, and alligations of mismanagement of public funds. While the root causes may be similar, our response has followed the same usual, tepid reaction to such serious issues.
This situation reminds me of the so-called People Power uprising against Marcos Sr.’s Martial Law. It was, in my view, one of the most underwhelming displays of courage I’ve ever seen, especially given the severity of the problems that ignited it. The movement was led by the relatively weaker figure of Corazon Aquino and her supporters, with Cardinal Sin rallying them toward Malacañang Palace. Ultimately, Marcos was exiled to Hawaii, accompanied by General Ver, and took with him crates filled with billions in gold and cash—thanks in part to the intervention of the Reagan administration.
This “People Power” phenomenon did not create a lasting impact on governance or reduce corruption. It contrasts sharply with the situations in Iraq, Libya, Romania, and Pakistan, where citizens actively confronted oppressive regimes.
Perhaps we are not a violent people who would endorse actions like the mob killing of Muammar Gaddafi, which is understandable. However, considering the abuse of power and rampant exploitation by our politicians, there should be accountability for their excesses. Take the cases of Imran Khan in Pakistan, who was sentenced to 14 years for corruption, or South Korea’s Park Geun-hye, who received a 25-year sentence for corruption and abuse of power. Alberto Fujimori was also sentenced to 25 years in prison for embezzlement and human rights abuses. Notably, in Vietnam, billionaire Truong My Lan was sentenced to death (later commuted to life imprisonment) for bank fraud and embezzlement. In the Philippines, Janet Lim Napoles, the convicted mastermind of the 2013 pork barrel and PDAF scandal, is currently serving her sentence. But where are the big guys?
The only ex-president who comes close to these examples is Joseph Estrada, who was convicted and sentenced to life in prison but served only 6.5 years before being pardoned by President Arroyo. He later returned to politics as the Mayor of Manila after spending six years away from the political scene. His son, Jinggoy Estrada, who was also convicted of plunder, has since been reelected to the Senate. After the passing of Marcos Sr., his body was returned to the Philippines and buried at the “Libingan ng mga Bayani” (Cemetery of Heroes).
These cases are just a glimpse into the much larger and corrupt history of our politics.
What Constitutes Corruption? Why Is It Making Headlines Today?
The U.S. has a corruption perception score of 28, which is worse than Japan’s 20 and Canada’s 15. However, nothing attracts public attention quite like the revelation of suitcases filled with millions of pesos delivered to politicians—money obtained from ghost projects or kickbacks from flood control schemes created through the collusion of contractors and politicians.
It is estimated that P1.6 trillion was lost to corruption in 2024 (https://opinion.inquirer.net/182554/redemption-from-corruption ). In this year’s flood control projects alone, the government’s own estimate suggests that 70% of the budget is lost to corruption. Additionally, of the 2,409 contractors involved in flood control projects, only 15 were awarded contracts totalling 100 billion pesos over the last three years. Of these 15, only five contractors are involved in projects across the entire Philippines. It’s infuriating and it stinks to high heaven!
The blatant and shameless theft from the country’s treasury has become so ingrained in the culture that many now accept it as a regular part of governance. Shockingly, even fellow kleptocrats raise alarms when the loot is not evenly distributed among them. There is an inequality even among the thieves; they dislike it when greed favours only a select few at the top, as they all have a stake in the culture of impunity. These corrupt individuals continue to jeopardize our country’s future.
However, something has changed this time. The scale of suffering resulting from the fraud and theft of billions allocated to flood control projects has left millions enduring ongoing hardship. Lives and livelihoods are destroyed as contractors and politicians conspire to steal these funds. Ghost projects, substandard materials, and incomplete work have all contributed to the misery faced by hardworking citizens.
Amidst this chaos, suitcases full of cash are being delivered to contractors and politicians, with complicit banks laundering these funds so that they can buy luxury cars, resorts, and real estate abroad. The remaining cash is used for vote-buying, church contributions, or private donations to the poor. In 2011, seven Catholic bishops received SUVs from the Arroyo administration as part of her futile attempt to secure their support amid public protests over allegations of electoral cheating and corruption. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) apologized after being caught red-handed.
This time, there exists a paradox that isn’t immediately obvious. Unlike the greed and impunity that have characterized past scandals, the stupidity displayed by the perpetrators now rivals the foolishness seen in the “tanim bala” (literally “planting bullets”) extortion scheme carried out by security personnel at NAIA in 2015-2016. These bumpkins put the Keystone Cops to shame.
If the contractors and politicians had employed even a minimal amount of critical thinking in this extensive corruption scheme, they would have recognized that climate change could expose them, even if they had executed flood control projects reasonably well. Given the increasing severity of typhoons and rainfall, they should have known that their typical schemes were now high-risk. Casual studies on the global effects of global warming in countries that had never before experienced such disasters should have warned them against their usual thievery this time around. The submerged neighbourhoods and billions of pesos in damages revealed their misconduct.
I wonder how Romualdez, Binay, or Co will cope with the label of “Tanga Kasi!” (dim-witted). How will they weather this new label added to the long list of improprieties associated with them throughout history? Any positive contributions they may have made in their political careers are now forgotten. They are merely a new version of the “tanim bala” crowd—an unsophisticated, cockamamie group, lacking in intellect.
How do these individuals sleep at night while a parade of poverty-stricken citizens are handcuffed and imprisoned for petty thefts to feed their families? How do they live with the knowledge that their stolen funds are depriving students of classrooms and leaving them with substandard school buildings that are at risk of collapsing during ongoing earthquakes?
Again, this situation is worsening because politicians fail to recognize the country’s vulnerability to extraordinary events caused by natural forces, primarily due to their ignorance and greed. A savvy politician, even if corrupt, would understand the importance of allocating funds effectively to projects at risk from ‘Acts of God.’
Many corrupt practices may not initially appear as issues of financial misconduct. In reality, they are capital-intensive endeavours that involve more individuals benefiting from the illicit gains. Cronyism, nepotism, conflicts of interest, and a lack of transparency pave the way for widespread ill-gotten wealth. Government protocols and laws are often crafted by the very individuals who stand to gain from them. This highlights the urgent need for a transformative government strategy to drive the necessary change.
From 2016 to 2021, the Philippines had a Secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) who was the son of a billionaire landowner and former Senate President (2006-2008), and served alongside his senator wife, who is now also the mother of a senator daughter. Observers have noted the rise of this former senator from a mere landowner to the wealthiest individual in the country, a figure also listed in Forbes’ rankings of the world’s richest people. To say that it reeks of conflict of interest is of minor concern among the citizenry. The culture of impunity in this country continues unabated.
For our Fil-Canadian readers, let’s reflect on how Canada addresses conflicts of interest. There are strict federal and provincial laws in place. Consider some examples: Hazel McCallion, the long-serving mayor of Mississauga, Ontario, was charged with conflict of interest for her handling of her realtor son’s financial interests in land dealings within the city. Mississauga spent $10 million of taxpayer money to address these charges. Ultimately, she was cleared and continued serving as mayor until 2014, totalling 36 years in office.
In 1996, NDP Premier Glen Clarke of British Columbia resigned following charges of influence peddling, related to a charity casino application for a neighbour who needed assistance processing it. The neighbour had built a deck on the Premier’s house for $16,000, which the Premier paid for, yet the neighbour never cashed the cheque. The RCMP raided his home to seek additional incriminating evidence to bolster the case against him. This scandal effectively destroyed Clarke’s once-promising political career at just 38 years old.
In 2017, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accepted an invitation from family friend Aga Khan to spend a vacation at the Aga Khan’s private island in the Bahamas. The Ethics Commissioner found that the Prime Minister violated several sections of federal conflict-of-interest legislation, even though he covered the $200,000 cost of the trip. At the time, the Aga Khan Foundation was lobbying for federal support. Trudeau was found guilty but not charged due to a technicality. He apologized and stated that he would report future trips to the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.
To be clear, the Philippines has conflict-of-interest laws, but enforcement is problematic when the enforcers—the Office of the Ombudsman, the Executive Branch, and the Police—are themselves culpable. The fox guarding the henhouse scenario does not work.
When the scion of one of the most corrupt leaders in the world delivers a speech asserting, “Mahiya naman kayo”—you should be ashamed (some of which is addressed to a relative)—it underscores a new level of greed in the Philippines. With poverty and inequality rampant, coupled with a learning poverty rate of 90% (indicating that 90% of our children cannot read age-appropriate materials, according to UNESCO data), we are teetering on the brink of an existential crisis.
PASSIVE CORRUPTION AND THE REVENGE OF THE POOR
The poor and powerless are painfully aware of how inequality continually undermines their chances of achieving a decent life. When their last bastion of hope is shattered by natural disasters like typhoons, floods, or earthquakes that destroy their children’s schools, they become angry. This anger is directed not only at their unfortunate circumstances but also at the politicians and associates who shamelessly profit from their suffering.
The image of suitcases filled with money alongside unchecked corruption feels like a dagger to their hearts. We witness unrest, public protests, and a growing cynicism among the masses, but the worst is yet to come. They perceive the corruption around them as a license to replicate such behaviour when the opportunity arises, manifesting in various ways.
Cheating. Some notable examples? Attempts to implement an “honour system” for fare collection on some bus companies have failed, with compliance rates hovering at only 30%. Early foreign coin-operated vending machines were often found containing a significant amount of Filipino coinage. Most recently, the Licensure Exam for Teachers revealed an internal scam where exam questionnaires were photographed and sold to review centers for 10,000 pesos each.
The case of the Discaya couple illustrates how poverty can significantly impact individuals’ psychological well-being, leading them to become unhinged when they unexpectedly acquire wealth. Cars and houses—Filipinos’ favourite talking points—typically serve as the main expressions of their newfound riches. However, this couple took it to extremes, which is common among those who have never experienced such wealth. Besides conspicuous consumption and vulgarity in showing off their riches, in subsequent interviews, they expressed a “bakya” (pedestrian) way of thinking, insisting, for example, that their riches were due to “Feng Shui.” It seems they will soon return to “rags” once the government is through with them.
Even more concerning is the mindset of “lamangan” or “isahan,” which refers to gaining a competitive edge through dishonest means. I grew up believing this was a normal aspect of our culture. Cheating on taxes has become so normalized that people openly boast about it. It’s widely known that many tax enforcers may even assist individuals in evading taxes. This value system has been perpetuated through memes, passed down from one generation to the next, fostering a “me too” mentality that ultimately results in a widespread sense of entitlement.
The ongoing consequences of these public displays of corruption in their various forms contribute to the development of values that stand in stark contrast to integrity. If you wonder why honest governance is elusive in our country, it’s because deceit has woven itself into the fabric of our culture. Without timely intervention, this mentality risks becoming ingrained in our identity. We may find ourselves, as a society, doomed and ostracized for our corrupt behaviour.
However, not all is lost. In a continuation of this article on December 1st, I will outline a strategy—a bold one with the potential to address the existential crisis of corruption—aimed at creating a government that is transformative and effective, one that can stand alongside the best in the world.
Curious about what this strategy might be? Read part II, December 1st BALITA
Edwin de Leon, M.Ed
Edwin is the author of “Memories and Reflections,” available on eBay.ca.