“(Political surgery) can come through a change of government by a well-purposed military, the ‘protectors of the people,’ though fraught with unpredictable dangers”
WHEN corruption goes unpunished through years and years of praxis, infecting almost every agency of government, and when even the institutions supposed to be guardians of morality are desensitized, then systematic becomes systemic.
Beyond acceptance, there is a resignation to what is now considered as the “new normal.”
Manhid na ang sambayanan; tanggap na.
Let us begin with the way we choose our public leaders. Many sell their votes; others are enamored by celebrity status, without checking competence or character.
In Bisaya, especially in Mindanao where vote-buying began in the early sixties, “mao man gihapon. Dawat na lang kita og alindahaw.” (They are all the same; let’s just get showered with their leavings).
Thus, the elected leaders feel that since they “paid” their way to election, they can do as they please. Worsened by a three-year electoral cycle, they recoup their “investment” as soon as they are in power, and prepare for the next election financed by kickbacks.
When their Constitutionally-imposed term limits are up, without any proscription on family dynasties, they pass on their positions to wife, trusted brother, son or daughter, thus perpetuating their hold on power.
Public service becomes private property; position is passed on like “pamana.”
Corrupt politicians, contractors, agency officials and their “mavens” then engage in conspicuous consumption, their families flaunting ill-gotten wealth, and the public even finds their parvenu proclivities entertaining rather than disgusting.
This situation is what has gradually enveloped our politics since the 1987 Constitution was hastily passed and ratified by the people without enough comprehension.
We were reacting to almost 14 years of authoritarian rule. We thought that by merely restoring the forms of democracy, social and economic development would occur.
Yet, despite 39 years under the 1987 Constitution, more have been consigned to poverty. Public order is an illusion. Public services are optics. The quality of life has deteriorated, except for the corrupt and their support system.
The institution that was once called the Fourth Estate – media – has largely been silenced, not by fear, but by purchase, save for some courageous few who raise their voices or write their opinions whether in traditional or social media.
Once in a while, church leaders speak out. They spoke against the archiving of the impeachment articles against the vice president, but few have spoken against far more massive corruption that drains the public till, bury the next generation in debt, and even kill people who drown in floods. Cardinal Ambo David is an outstanding exception.
Remember the Pajero bishops whom GMA “fixed”? I miss the likes of Archbishop Oscar Cruz who, if alive, would have abjured the POGO’s, the PIGO’s, just as he fought jueteng and the corruption attendant to it.
Legislators have become more brazen. They demand bigger “cuts of flesh” from the budget which for three years the president did not even notice.
Now that he has raised hackles, people wonder if words will mercifully turn into action, jaded as they have been by the “new normal” and the culture of impunity.
LGU officials, especially those who come from dynasties headed by legislators, spend revenues augmented by IRA’s in graft-laden small projects, to include padded beautification and street lighting projects, extravagant fiestas and celebrations which local church leaders even bless.
The justice system is broken, from policemen turned accomplices of criminal syndicates, to prosecutors and judges who bend the law when the price is right.
Systematic corruption has become normal in a dysfunctional system.
Friends have said that perhaps we should teach young students early on about honor and the guiding principles of good and upright citizenship.
We should, but the rot has metastasized, with even SK leaders aping their corrupt elders. And values education takes time to take root.
Strong political will by a determined leader can fight systematic corruption, but for systemic corruption, we need political surgery.
That can come through a change of government by a well-purposed military, the “protectors of the people,” though fraught with unpredictable dangers.
The other way is to revise the 1987 Constitution, which though filled with salutary social justice provisions, has nurtured a political system that makes it easy for the political and economic elite to perpetuate their power at the expense of the many.
Still, who ought to spearhead such Constitutional revision?
Since we are led by those who have abused our trust, we cannot trust them to effect meaningful systemic change that would benefit the people instead of their lust for continued power.
Can we elect a new leader in 2028 who will initiate genuine systemic change?
