Democracy and Corruption in the Philippines

By: FebyBasco-Lunag, Philippines 

Philippines is a beautiful country endowed with rich natural resources. It should have been like Singapore or Hong Kong when it comes to development, if all the political leaders were honest and committed to the people. However, we live in one of the world’s poorest, most affected (on the impact of climate change) and the most corrupt countries in the world. 

We have been enjoying democracy for many years now and yet we are not sure if we are truly blessed with the gifts of democracy. It’s sad that we have high profile thieves in the country. The thieves in the Philippines play a major and critical role on why we have remained poor through the years. The thieves aren’t the bank robbers or those who pick pocket in the streets but they were the one’s wearing best suites and riding the best cars in the country. They are very much respected and they hold power and the prestige of being called “Honorable.” During elections they hold the best promises on earth. They reach out to the poorest communities and offer them the heaven and earth if they win the elections. They have fantastic speeches that lure the trust and confidence of our fellow Filipinos living below the poverty line. I don’t blame one of the female senators when she said that non tax payers should not vote. Truly, the majority of our voters are the non-tax payers. They are the one’s whom these corrupt leaders cling onto during elections.

Recently, two whistle blowers bravely opened up to the Filipino people the scandal on the Priority Development Assistance Funds or PDAF. The PDAF is supposedly a fund to be used by the Senators and Congressmen to reach out to the poor communities in the Philippines.  A total of 200 Million Pesos is given to a Senator every year and 70 Million pesos to each Congressmen. This is a huge amount of money!  It can do so many things for a developing country like the Philippines.It can build quality infrastructure for public services like schools, hospitals, and so many others. It can send children to quality schools, it can cure the sick, it can give homes to the homeless, and it can lessen the effect of natural disasters to those affected, most especially the women and children who are most vulnerable. For the past years, climate related disasters claimed thousands of lives and destroyed billion worth of property. Floods, landslides, destruction of fisheries and farms are all experienced here in the country. If only the money squandered to corruption is used to improve facilities then the poor should be better off. The vulnerable sectors of the country such as the indigenous peoples, urban poor, women and children have the lowest capacity to adapt because of extreme poverty and the lack of access to proper social services.

Today, Janet Napoles the icon of corruption in the Philippines connived with senators and congressmen in stealing the money of the Filipino people. The issue is all over the papers, television, and social media sites. Napoles had created these fraud non-government organizations (NGOs) and some identified corrupt senators and congressmen placed their PDAF funds into these fake NGOs. Napoles and the rest of the gang have been doing this for many years. Imagine how they accumulated large amount of money; no wonder they are very rich today! They have businesses, houses not only in the Philippines but abroad, their families are living like royalties, they have everything! And yet, they left their countrymen dying in poverty. I can’t imagine how cruel they were; they lost their conscience and their sight because of the greed to accumulate more money!

I am afraid that no matter how the media will expose the betrayal of these political leaders to the public, these corrupt leaders will still win in the next elections. I can’t figure out how they manipulate people and still get the votes. I am prayerful that someday, Philippines can truly maximize the true meaning of democracy. Still, I am a proud Filipino and I remain to be hopeful and blessed because I know that there are still leaders who are dedicated and committed to restore the true spirit of democracy and improve the lives of the people. I know that there is hope for our country and I know that true leaders will arise to give what is due to the people.