Corruption in the Philippines under the current Duterte administration has been increasing as 2018 article by Forbes says the country has “dropped 13 notches in the 2017 Corruption Index published recently by Transparency International.” The perpetuation of all forms of corruption thrives as the administration political agents, most specifically political symbols. Despite President Rodrigo Duterte advocating the elimination of corruption and the officials who commit it as he would openly say that there is zero tolerance for corruption, last December of 2018, he reappointed and retained 16 politicians who have been accused of such fraudulent conduct. Rappler made a report on the highly questionable list of reappointees by President Duterte. Although he has made it clear in his campaigns that no accusation is needed in order for him to fire a corrupt official, it seems that he is unbothered by the pending cases and the corruption allegations there are pointed out to the politicians he has prepared a position for.
One of the notable definitions of corruption is provided by Vito Tanzi who presents, “corruption is the intentional non-compliance with the arms-length principle aimed at deriving some advantage for oneself or for related individuals from this behavior” (Begovic, 2005). More so, the Anti Corruption Resource Centre also states that “behaviour which deviates from the formal duties of a public role because of private-regarding (personal, close family, private clique) pecuniary or status gains; or violates rules against the exercise of certain types of private-regarding influence” (Nye: 1967) which gives emphasis on individuals prioritizing personal interests and gains within the political structure.
Further, it explains the obligation of political actors and symbols to remain unbiased and just within the political sphere as they must not take advantage of the authority they are given, in order to prioritize their own goals and interests while manipulating the system and getting away with punishable acts. In a government filled with corrupt agents who share the same intentions of undermining the political network, more abusive agents continue to grow in number because of power, political status, and symbols each hold. Therefore, unjust ways of governing become a regular doing amongst such individuals. In November 2018, former First Lady Imelda Marcos was charged guilty of corruption as the couple has stolen $200m to Switzerland during the reign of her husband, former President Ferdinand Marcos. The couple has violated the Philippine Constitution as they have made use of aliases in bids for the stolen funds to remain hidden from the government. Moreover, there has also been plunder cases from the Marcoses. Unfortunately, despite all the allegations, both Imelda and Ferdinand Marcos successfully made their way out of such cases.
For Imelda’s case now, the Sandiganbayan court ruled a decision that she will serve in prison for six to eleven years for violating the anti-corruption law; she submitted an appeal through her lawyer. In spite of the court’s ruling to disqualify Imelda Marcos from securing a position in public office, she is still given the liberty to remain as a member of the House of Representatives as the decision of appealing was on-going. In addition, the Marcos family has amassed a total amount of $10 billion when former President Ferdinand Marcos was still strongly holding onto the power he had. On the other hand, President Duterte who is well-known to be a supporter of the Marcoses remains released a statement that the said family will be returning a certain amount of money to aid in budget shortage. He added that they have been denying accusations regarding stolen assets. Although he has pushed through with the auctioning of Imelda’s jewelry so the funds may benefit the poor, the corruption cases are still unresolved and the Marcos family continues to hold a large following because of existing Marcos loyalists.
Furthermore, Imelda Marcos belongs to the list of the wealthiest members of the House of Representatives. Individuals like Imelda can easily escape the punishment due to her, because of the political status she holds, along with the wealth she possesses despite the corruption cases. As she mentioned earlier, if President Duterte clearly expresses that there is no hesitation in removing corrupt officials from their posts, then the former first lady should have been imprisoned by now. However, this is when President Duterte's statement back in April of 2017, ''the first whiff - and even if it isn't true - we'll say goodbye," would raise concerns due to the fact that how he is handling political officials who have been charged with corruption in many forms by reappointing them in the government. Unfortunately, belonging to a wealthy and powerful political family is more than enough to get away with any crime, most especially corruption; one stays untouchable.
To better understand corruption and its different forms, there are nine kinds of such, namely: bribery, extortion, misappropriation, self-dealing, patronage, abuse of discretion, misuse of information, creating or exploiting conflict of interest, and nepotism (Graycar, 2015).
First, bribery is defined as an act of offering and receiving any form of reward or benefit that was not rightfully earned, to an individual who will be manipulated to perform anything that is against the system, in favor of the giver; in this situation, both the receiver and the giver are corrupt.
Second, extortion is known as a criminal offense where an individual who holds power and authority forces another individual or establishments in order to acquire funds or money and services.
Third, misappropriation is an illegal act of making use of public funds for personal use. More so, this is also known as the usage of another individual's name and information without consent.
Forth, self-dealing is about an individual who holds a legal relationship of trust with a certain number of parties who chooses to take advantage of the position to perform illegal tasks that will benefit him or her instead of providing benefits to the majority.
Fifth, in political patronage, elected officials appoint the group of individuals who have assisted them in acquiring the post they are occupying. Priority is given to these people whom they favor as they have provided personal service.
Sixth, abuse of discretion occurs when the trial court commits an error in a case by unfairly making a ruling that is unjust and unreasonable, given that the facts supplied are false.
Seventh, misuse of information arises when confidential data or information of a particular individual is stolen, tampered, or lost due to negligence or an intention to sabotage the individual’s reputation or career.
Eighth, creating or exploring the conflict of interest takes place when an institution or individual wishes to exploit another person for them to gain beneficially, whether is something personal or corporate.
And lastly, nepotism is when officials occupying higher positions give more attention to their relatives despite being underqualified, unfit, and etc; instead of showing equal treat or just treatment towards employees or staff, there is discrimination.
Certainly, corruption abolishes democracy and weakens the political system as well. The legitimacy of the functions of the government and the trust between the political actors and the people they serve are decreased as well. In conclusion, we must always be reminded that corruption in any way, shape, or form should not be tolerated. More so, the fact that abusive people, whether politicians, employers, and etc, who shamelessly commit corruption should not be swept under the rug despite the power they hold and who they are regarded as in the society.
For more information on Imelda Marcos' Corruption Case, please visit https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/09/world/asia/imelda-marcos-sentenced-philippines.html
References:
Fighting graft conviction, Imelda Marcos still among the richest lawmakers. (2019, June 12). Retrieved June 27, 2019, from https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/12/19/fighting-graft-conviction-imelda-marcos-still-among-richest-lawmakers
Imelda Marcos sentenced to 42 years for £154m fraud. (2018, November 9). Retrieved June 27, 2019, from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/11/09/imelda-marcos-sentenced-42-years-corruption/
Imelda Marcos is found guilty of corruption, but not imprisoned. (2018, November 17). Retrieved June 27, 2019, from https://www.economist.com/asia/2018/11/17/imelda-marcos-is-found-guilty-of-corruption-but-not-imprisoned
Graycar, A. (2015). Corruption: Classifications and Analysis. 1-10. Retrieved July 4, 2019
Graycar, A. (2015). Corruption: Classifications and Analysis. 1-10. Retrieved July 4, 2019
Ranada, P. (2018, June 11). LIST: No to corruption? Duterte's controversial reappointees. Retrieved June 27, 2019, from https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/204626-list-rodrigo-duterte-controversial-reappointees
Introduction to Corruption: Concepts, Theories & Evidence. (2015). 1-18. Retrieved June 27, 2019, from https://www.eiseverywhere.com/file_uploads/c529873ccb5abec9c24362435da7b04c_Day1session1basicsofcorruptionPhilippines.pdf.
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