Corruption and the Philippines

Corruption has always been a problem in our country. Corruption according to the Webster’s dictionary, is “ dishonest or illegal behavior especially by powerful people (such as government officials or police officers)” or “ inducement to wrong by improper or unlawful means (such as bribery)”. Some examples include the clergy who bribed peasants with safety and religion in exchange for their land, the Japanese when they were occupying our country blackmailing our countrymen to spy on each other, and finally the modern politician stealing tax money.

As a developing country, we need all the resources we have toward making sure we can stay stable and progress eventually. However, many of the people in power are taking advantage of the less developed aspects of our country for their own gain. And it has only gotten worse, as with the drug war, we are now causing innocents to lose their lives in a war they were never involved in. Politicians brag their ability to solve one problem without considering the bigger problems it’s causing, like extra-judicial killing.  But what can we do? Attempts have been made in order to quell these problems, and so far, not a lot have worked. But with the proper science and technology, we can effectively eradicate corruption.

First, we need the proper political education for commoners. So far, people have had many problems understanding the roles of many political positions leaving them to simply trust anything told of them. Thus, they are easily deceived and abused. We need an education system composed of blogs, videos, and more that is accessible for the average Filipino. 

Second, we need monitoring systems that can help us track what politicians are doing with the money they are given. Many times, corruption happens when money is spent on projects, with no tangible progress. People simply trust that these projects happen. This can be accomplished through public records and progress monitoring that should be transparent and accessible to the public.

Thirdly, we need to use information technology to inform people on the issues of today. Many times, corruption happens because information becomes distorted by different communication channels, and it leads to outrage over nothing. With the proper information technology, we bring the news to the people diligently and accurately by leading them to the legitimate websites.

We need to make sure that we use technology with caution and care. In many ways, our government has already taken steps to use technology to fight corruption. We need to lobby for change in how our government conduct their actions. We need to make sure that the technology we use is not controlled by corporations, for they could use it for their own gain or to control our country. 

We should have this done is through public service and volunteering, as many people are willing to help the country in anyway they can. We can rid corruption from our country by reminding our countrymen that fighting against corruption has always been something that Filipinos have done.