A shame campaign (Part 1)

E·N·Q·U·I·R·Y
DEMAREE J.B. RAVAL

A shame campaign (Part 1)
Sunday, 09 28, 2008

Shame the perpetrators of corruption to stop them from their tracks.

There was once a wonderful time in the shame culture of the Philippines when a person who broke the law wished to sink into the ground and disappear forever from view, to hide himself from eyes that have borne witness to his embarrassment and disgrace.

No one would want to face the dishonor, the disgrace, and the condemnation that follows an act of bribery. It is human nature to put up a brave face, to flaunt a façade of righteousness, and proclaim one’s innocence. Conversely, one who is caught loses face. He would no longer be able to put up the brave face of uprightness; would no longer be able flaunt that façade of righteousness; and, worse, he would be the subject of scorn and derision.

Shaming works – or should.

Corruption – the dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power and authority, whether elected or appointed – constitutes a significant challenge in the growth and advancement of nations. Corruption in the public affairs of a country emboldens those in power to scoff at the law and determine democratic processes. Corruption in elections makes a mockery of the people’s voice and robs constituents of their choice of representatives who will shape policy and legislation. Corruption in public administration results in the lopsided provision, or even the withholding, of vital services such as health care and education. Corruption in the courts sullies the majesty of the law and drives people to take matters in their own hands.

In a word, corruption erodes the capacity of government institutions as legal processes are flouted, resources are plundered, and public offices are made available to the highest bidders. At its extreme infestation, corruption erodes the legal foundations of government and egalitarian values such as public trust and confidence.

The dysfunction in the political system is at once clear to the eye and obvious to the mind when government officers, political officials or employees seek illegitimate personal gain through actions such as bribery, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, patronage, graft and embezzlement.

Bribery is the most common form of corruption in the Philippines. Often acknowledged, or at best considered as a permissible cultural norm in some sectors of the country, this aspect of corruption extends to every aspect of public life. Whether it goes by the fancy name of lagniappe, or the Filipino lagay or pampalubag-loob (“something given or received to soothe or console”), or the Arabic baksheesh, the Spanish mordida, or the Punjabi choonga, the bribe makes it easy for individuals to stay in business, circumvent a procedure or regulation, or goad an official to do something he is already paid to do. Easily, it is the easiest to learn and exercise as a tool to get favors. All it takes is a little insensitivity to defy the conscience that tugs at the mind and reminds one not to commit it.

Take the case of a driver who is stopped by a traffic policeman for speeding. If he has the willingness to shell out a hundred pesos to avoid paying a five hundred peso fine, and the traffic enforcer has the shrewd initiative to pocket the bribe and deny the government coffers the fine, then we have a manifest case of lagniappe. This transaction, of course, proceeds on the premise that everything is on the sly: The driver does not want to get caught offering the bribe, and the traffic policeman does not want to get caught accepting the bribe.

The laws against bribery are airtight. Man has invented everything there is out of his imaginative mind and from experience, putting them down in tomes of legalese. Name it, and they have it. I mean, every means to fight corruption is there – from the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) that details every conceivable legal mechanism or device to fight corruption worldwide, to municipal laws that punish petty to large-scale corruption.

But for as long as there is the pecuniary capacity to offer a bribe and there is a willingness or even expectation to receive a bribe, there will always be the urge or compulsion to circumvent these laws – as long as one does not get caught. There is something perversely romantic and thrilling about being able to break the law, and be able to get away with it. It is a supreme achievement of sorts: To be able to behave in a way that is unacceptable in spite of the consequences.

The other hideous face of bribery is extortion, which takes the form of payment demanded by corrupt officials who threaten to discredit or destroy individuals as well as organizations through the illegitimate use of state forces and agencies under their control. Often, extortion is facilitated by patronage, when incompetent persons are given government post as a reward for loyalty rather than ability. And if a regime is steeped in patronage, the twin evils of government abuse - nepotism and cronyism – cannot be too far behind, creating a smug feeling of “we’re-all-in-this-together-so-let’s-keep-it-within-ourselves.” Embezzlement easily becomes the shameless theft of public funds, and kickbacks come steadily kicking in.

It doesn’t take one to have read the latest release of Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index to realize that these aspects of corruption are endemic in the Philippines.

In the face of all these corrupt practices, what can one do? What could we do?

Shame them. And next week, we hope to be able to tell you why we should and how we could.




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