The Big C: Pinoy version

By Eireen Manikan

For as long as I can remember, (longer than you think, mind you) our country has always been saddled with various corruption issues to the point where citizens are now desensitized and not as reactive. I was in grade school when People Power happened because of gross corruption; then out of college when an actor-turned-president was ousted due to corruption allegations and then another family rose to power that exposed the Jose Pidal accounts, and now we have a VP accused of fraud in her intelligence funds and of course we are now world-famous for our ghost flood control projects. You see, in almost major stages of my life there was something happening in the country just like a disease developing in a body and staying there until it rots and causes death. That is cancer in its simplest form.

But when does cancer happen? According to ChatGPT, one reason it happens is when there are certain mutations that affect the DNA that may come from harmful habits, i.e. smoking, chemicals, infections or random errors in the division of cells (tough luck).  So does corruption in government. It occurs when something out of the normal scheme of things is being done or when a procedure or protocol is distorted for greedy reasons.

One of the most popular forms of corruption is stealing from public coffers, directly or otherwise. It is usually done by getting a portion of the money meant for public funds through infra projects, supplies and other projects that have third parties. Another is receiving kickbacks for public services that are meant to be free. In all of these, x deals are always expected. Favored contractors, suppliers, etc. Faster service or approval of papers despite lacking some requirements.

Just like cancer, it may creep up to the system undetected or without a loud bang. Little by little it will then be considered a part of the procedure or protocol without the need for cure or eradication. In some government systems (local and national) it has been so normalized that it does not even look like cancer anymore but a welcome step that wakes the appetite to take more.

Again, from ChatGPT, negative impacts of cancer may include serious harm to the body which may result to death, emotional and psychological stress, and impact on family and relationships. Not so different when you are implicated in corruption scandals, actually.

Yet our ability to “accept” and continually choose politicians who are notorious for corruption issues never fails to amaze me. I am apprehensive of the fact that we have become numbed to the consequences of corruption. That we have a from of resigned acceptance that yes, there might be death (or not) of a political career, but there’s always something new especially if you are chummy with the powers that be, and yes there will be stressful days but we get over it; true there will be shame and embarrassment for the family and friend but they will get over it too while riding their choppers, Bentleys or what have you.

So this is our cancer. It is something that distorts our sense of right and wrong, erodes our integrity and provides our youth with the wrong moral compass. They say humanity is nearing its victory with its fight against cancer. That the cure is almost here, if not already. But for us Pinoys, have we? Found the cure for our version? Do we want to? ###eam