The pic shown is a weird post, but maybe we can get something from it. I wrote before that the things that may actually fix our country are the “un-Filipino” values and practices, and that’s one reason corruption is hard to fix in this country. The rub is, the corruption we’ve been observing all this time is simply the product of our culture.
The “nepo kids” of the Discayas and other contractors are simply the latest poster material for the latest outrage fad. Some are lamenting that nothing will be done about corruption in Philippine government and it will continue until the next public scandal. I have to agree, because unless people are unwilling to question their own practices, no meaningful change will come.
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As esteemed webmaster Benign0 said in his recent article, the Philippine needs a reboot for corruption to be rightly addressed. What kind of reboot? Changes in government forms and other formal structures do little to actually change things. No matter the structure in place, Filipinos under their culture of circumvention will find ways around it. That’s why I believe government decisions are actually done not in the formal halls, but when those concerned are out having dinner in a restaurant, in an informal setting. The real change doesn’t happen in formal channels, but in informal ones.
Those familiar with Get Real Philippines likely know our emphasis on corruption coming from the culture. The habits that lead to corruption are what Filipinos practice in ordinary life. As Benign0 wrote, at “an early age, Filipino children are taught by their parents to be cheats and liars.” Workers take home supplies and even the belongings of co-workers from workplaces. Applicants falsify resume details. Workers who habitually do things wrong and violate rules bully a co-worker who is doing things right. Politicians enter their family members even if they are not qualified because of “family first values.” And so on.
The Folly of the “Right Leader”
The idea of “voting the right person in” is trumpeted as if it’s the greatest solution to corruption, but it’s actually overrated. It assumes that the “right leader” or “benevolent dictator” can right everything on their own. But it probably carries with it a fallacious presumption; that a “right leader” will have absolute power. Government is made of many people executing and carrying out different actions. And not to mention, there is the separation of powers to limit the power of one leader. That itself already puts obstacles in the way of supposed efforts to “right things.” Benign0 quoted the late columnist Jaime Licauco on this: the Philippine “bureaucracy… is burdened by elaborate and often unnecessary checks and balances so that nothing ever gets done in the process.”
The idea of the “right leader” is likely based on the longtime fallacy that you can divide people into good and evil, that such good and evil people were born that way, and their natures are permanent (one born good is good forever, one born bad is bad forever). Choose the good people, eliminate the evil people, and things will be perfect. In truth, this is a naïve concept.
The Good and Evil Divide
People are not born good or evil, but learn certain traits and practices over time. Genetic predisposition’s role is small; it is a person’s discretion that does the most. People can change at the drop of a hat because of this. That’s why it was reasoned both in religion (Christianity especially) and philosophy, if you want to get rid of evil forever, you need to get rid of the whole human race – yourself included. And if you do actually it, you would be evil!
“Let’s kill all the evil ones!” sounds like a bright idea. But it’s really dumb. How can you determine truthfully if a person is an evil one? Remember there are deceptions that paint innocent people as evil. Yet the “kill evil ones” crowd may say the collateral damage is worth it. In my view, this is simply the culling concept under Social Darwinism. Cutting out the “evil” people is the same as culling the unfit. In truth, you can’t create a clear divide of people into good and evil; people are a mixed bag of good and evil, so voting “good” people into office can never be a true anti-corruption step.
Filipino culture lionizing certain people and demonizing others is more a function of our political patronage, something that draws from our old culture of serving datus and other small monarchs. That’s why it also makes no sense to choose the “best” or “character-solid” people for many things – some things might even be deceptive propaganda. Ordinary people who claim “I’ll be good through and through” can still fall once they get eaten by the web of politics. Ordinary Filipino families, when put in the same situation as the Discayas, Napoleses, and more, are likely to do the same.
Pride should be Fried
Pinoy Pride is one thing… as well as any other pride. Pride is one reason people get into corruption. Look at the vlogs of family members of those implicated in DPWH corruption. They were showing off all the expensive stuff they acquired, the pride any ordinary person would tend have. But when the scandal came up, the connection was made that their branded expensive stuff was bought through corruption. So when people vlog their expensive stuff, it’s becoming the default reaction to suspect that they got these with fishy money. Flaunting wealth is riskier now, but for good reason.
Filipinos need to be willing to question the culture they practice. The answer to corruption may be, what you thought was precious, popular, culturally fashionable, a cultural obligation, something you “deserve” to prop yourself up from “feeling poor,” your values that you hold dear… is what you should give up.
Let’s say this is done… you successfully remove the things that cause corruption… Filipinos use their brains and become more logical, practice meritocracy instead of nepotism, are willing to leave behind their tribalism for better practices and concepts, are accepting of vast and radical differences between each other instead of forcing everyone to be the same, are not starstruck by other people, become less materialistic, stop becoming obsessed with “pride,” etc…
Some might even question whether all of that is even “Filipino” anymore.
Then out comes those quarters showing “traitor,” “maka-dayuhan” and such (like the pictured post at the top). Thing is, where do you think our concepts of anti-corruption come from?
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