Is corruption inevitable, or have we simply accepted it as the new norm?
A few days before the recent mayoral and senatorial election, one of our neighbors called at the front door of our home. It’s a ‘she’, and she is looking specifically for my father.
I recognized her; she was the woman who used to teach religious teachings back when I was in elementary school. She is a woman who is always present at church meetings and gatherings. She is a figure I can associate with morality and faith.
But with that exterior, you would not expect that she was carrying a list. It was just a plain paper and a pen. She asked my father about the total count of registered voters in our family. My father responded, it was five. She told us to provide a photocopy of our valid IDs; that’s the only way to accept the ‘ayuda’ (cash incentives) coming from one of the running candidates in our municipality to be distributed on the following day.
It's a simple conversation, more like a transaction, and a business operation.
Looking at my father, he doesn’t have any blunt expressions at all. As if he is used to that system already, as if it were just another day in a long routine that comes every election season. There was no surprise and no discomfort; instead, it is the opposite.
He is expecting, quite satisfied that we are listed. There’s a smirk plastered on his lips, and a glint of happiness is evident in his eyes.
He called me. He gave me the responsibility to photocopy our valid IDs and strictly reminded me not to forget and pass those requirements on time.
He said that it is a ‘sayang’ (a waste) if we are not going to benefit from what is being given. Money is coming to our feet already, and it is hypocrisy if we’re not going to accept the offer. The way he said those words, there was no guilt. Just practicality. And knowing my father, I know that he is making sure that we are not missing out on what he believed was ‘rightfully’ ours. According to him, it is still our tax. It still comes from the money of the people.
Basically, it is ours.
Deep in my mind, this is how things work. As if people have already gotten used to this lifestyle, to this social system. There is no resistance, only acceptance and adaptation. The line between what is right and what is convenient for the people has been blurred for a long time, it was replaced by the logic of
“Accept the money but still vote for the people you want to win.”
It is quite unsettling to know what is lurking in our reality, not the blatant front action of vote buying. It’s the acceptance and surrender. The normalization.
Three days later, as promised, the cash came. It was almost midnight. We went to a neighbor’s house, and there was already a line for queuing. We fall in line and wait for our turn. There are people who look like lookouts, serving as a guard for anything that might happen. When it was our turn, we entered a small, secluded room. There she is, our neighbor. The one who got us listed, holding a logbook to confirm that we get our incentives. It didn’t last long; there’s an urgency in their actions. They eventually gave us the money, and before giving it, one of them reminded us of whom to vote for.
It is the unspoken deal.
I received 1,000 pesos (17.96 USD), we are five registered voters in the family, it sums to 5,000 pesos (89.79 USD) in total. If we’re going to think of it, it is equivalent to a day a normal Filipino worker earns. It is a temporary relief to many. A fraction of a campaign budget for the candidate.
I don’t have the right to judge the people who accepted it. In the first place, I am one of those. I somehow understand why people accepted the money or why people in general allow themselves to be subjected to the normalized system. Most people, especially those who belong to marginalized groups, take the money because their needs are greater than their ideals. Survival matters the most over principles. Food on the table is more urgent than reforms.
That is what corrupt politicians usually do: they use the situation of the people to exploit desperation. They feed on poverty. They disguised their manipulation in the form of generosity. In the form of ‘ayuda’.
You know what is sad? We are aware that we are blatantly fooled right at our faces. We know what is really happening. We know deep inside us that the money they gave us doesn’t guarantee anything. Heck! they won’t even remember our names. But we still go through the motion, because ‘at least’ we got something.
When will be the best time to ask ourselves whether we deserve a better government? That we deserve good governance?
When we will question ourselves that we should not settle for less, for what they are feeding onto us, for what they are giving?
Corruption is not just solely about politicians. It is about the culture that allows it.
We need to realize the truth. We cannot fight corruption if we’re benefiting from it and we cannot hope for justice if we are turning a blind eye.
There is no perfect government, I agree. But that doesn’t mean that we should be settling for less and not demanding better.
People in power, those who are comfortable in their air-conditioned rooms, have the same thing in common. They are afraid, they are afraid of educated voters. Those people who see through facades, those people who seek truth, those people who can influence others not through money but with deep conviction, those people who ask questions, those people who demand accountability, those people who want transparency.
They are afraid of the youths who no longer justify silence.
They are afraid of the youths who think critically.
Because they know that people who think critically become dangerous.
They become the threat.
An opposition to their power.
This is a constant reminder to everyone that who you vote for is a reflection of your morals, values, and you as a person. It speaks volumes about what you stand for, what you tolerate, and what you believe. In our hands is our future, and I hope that we start to value and realize how our single vote can change everything.
Not just for me.
Not just for you.
Not just for everyone else.
But for the future.
Drop your thoughts, comments, and reflections below. It will be great to have an interactive discussion. Thank you for reading!
Note: This blog utilized Grammarly to improve grammar, clarity, and overall readability.
Thumbnail illustration was made using Canva