The cause of corruption

Benito Teehankee
Managing for Society, The Manila Times
April 5, 2022

During the second COMELEC-organized presidential debate broadcasted by ANC last April 3, moderator Ces Drilon cited a report from the Deputy Ombudsman in 2019 that P700 billion was lost by the country every year to corruption. Drilon said that this could have funded 1.4 million houses. She then posed the first question for the debate: In your opinion, is corruption caused by weakness of people or weakness in the system? What solution should be implemented?

I like this question because it reveals if a candidate can critically analyze the cause of a governance problem and, based on this analysis, propose solutions. Filipinos have recognized corruption as one of the most long-standing problems faced by Philippine society. It’s hardly possible to develop as a country without addressing this devilish problem. The question is also important for this debate because only the president can set the tone from the top as to how the administration will control corruption.

I tallied the answers of the candidates on whether corruption is caused by personal or system weaknesses. Those who believe that it is caused by system weakness are De Guzman, Moreno, Gonzales, Mangondato and Abella. Only Lacson believes that the cause is personal weakness on the part of government leaders. Those who believe that both personal and system weakness cause corruption are Montemayor, Pacquiao and Robredo. I agree with the candidates who think that corruption is caused by both system and personal weakness.

Addressing one cause without addressing the other will not change anything. The other candidates have a different understanding of what is part of the system. For me, the system includes official rules, procedures, roles, resources and relationships that govern corruption. 

Let us look at basketball as an analogy to understand a system. The players, referees, coaches, officials and the audience, all present within a fully functional basketball court, are all governable under the system. Hence, it becomes possible for a referee to call a “foul” on a player, say, for excessive contact, under this system. It also becomes possible to enforce the rules on fouls with sanctions, as necessary.

But does such a system completely prevent players from committing unsportsmanlike conduct to gain an unfair advantage? Definitely not. Players can still commit excessive contact on the hope they can get away with it. Referees may fail to observe a foul being committed or decide not to call it for personal reasons not related to the game. This is a matter of personal attitude and choice. In other words, even with the best system, personal weakness still plays a role in ensuring a clean basketball game.

Corruption is not much different. Our laws on corruption are extensive and official bodies have well-defined roles on how to prevent, investigate and punish corrupt acts. But these laws also have loopholes and the official bodies have resource limitations in pursuing cases. Hence, it is not a perfect system.

At the same time, government officials as well as the citizens who transact with them, are subject to personal interests, temptations and character flaws. They can choose to ignore the laws or feign ignorance of them, on the hope that they will get away with it. Personal attitudes and actions on both sides do make a big difference in causing corruption. As they say, it takes two to tango.

Any long-term solution to corruption will need to include improvements in the system and continuing education of government officials and citizens on their roles in promoting clean government. I’m glad that some of the candidates get this.

Marcos was absent again during this second debate. This was unfortunate since we need to know his stand on addressing corruption. I think that a candidate who runs under COMELEC rules should be present in COMELEC-sponsored debates. This is the first test of accountability for a potential president.

Will he be allowed to get away with this? Let’s see.