Corruption in the Philippines: A Systemic Problem?
On October 6, 2015 Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, son of former Filipino president Ferdinand Marcos, announced he would be running for vice presidency in the May 2016 elections and on October 13, filed his certificate of candidacy. Marcos Jr’s announcement has been controversial in light of the country’s experience with Martial Law from September 21 1972 to January 17 1981 under his father’s rule. “The only way you can explain my having entered politics is definitely because of how my father … would say ‘I have committed not only myself to the work that I have done. I have not committed only my person, but my wife and my family too…” said Bongbong in an interview twenty years ago, bringing to light today the concerns shared by many Filipinos who remember Martial Law over his recent announcement.
The Marcos Family in the Government
In 2011, the 20-year death anniversary of Ferdinand Marcos Sr, the Marcoses had hoped to bury his body in the Philippines. Current President, Benigno Aquino, whose mother and former president Corazon Aquino ousted Marcos in 1986, refused, referring to the request as an “injustice”.
During the time of his presidency, President Marcos faced many challenges including a deteriorating economy and social unrest in the form of student protests and communist uprisings. In response, Marcos released Proclamation No. 1081 on the 21st of September, declaring martial law and placing the Philippines under control of the new People’s Army.
The considerable amount of controversy surrounding Marcos’ presidency stems from the fact that Marcos had also made significant contributions to during his term. Despite the 35 000 torture cases, 70 000 incarcerations and 3 257 murders under his reign, Marcos oversaw the building of all of the current specialty hospitals in the Philippines. Furthermore, the Filipino GNP saw an overall increase from 39.5 billion pesos to 86.7 billion pesos during the period of his rule.
It is hard to say whether the system, in and of itself, is allowing the perpetuation of corruption or whether Marcos was an anomaly. Notably, recent leaders have taken actions which seem to contradict principles of the democratic process. Former President Aquino proclaimed the “Freedom Constitution” in 1986 which gave her greater powers than Marcos while her son and current president Benigno Aquino has been said to have “handpicked” a “successor” for his presidency.
Is the System Flawed?
Ever since the presidency of Marcos Sr, the government of the Philippines has been under much greater scrutiny. The lingering fear and suspicion pertaining to Martial Law have resulted in the Filipino people approaching the current elections with more caution. However, the Philippines’ long history of corrupt governments and civil unrest might suggest a systemic problem with Filipino government.
There is, for instance, still concern surrounding the “pocketing of money” or “plundering” within the government. Despite the Anti-Plunder Law issued in 1986, it has been suggested that most of the money allocated towards “development” in Mindanao has been absorbed by the government.
Only last year, three Philippine senators were charged with plunder and graft – Ramon Revilla, Jinggoy Estrada and Ponce Enrile, all of whom were accused of pocketing over P170 million in government funds. 17 senators and over a hundred of current President Aquino’s allies have also been accused of plundering government funds.
One might also blame the current Bureau of Customs, one of the agencies with the highest turnovers during Aquino’s presidency. In April of this year Customs Commissioner John Sevilla announced his resignation, admitting the Bureau of Customs to be “among the most corrupt government agencies”. And in August, Customs Commissioner Angelito A. Alvarez was fired by Aquino as Aquino was “no longer happy” with Alvarez’s performance. In response to criticism regarding thousands of missing cargo containers, Alvarez announced that he had plans to spearhead investigations and solutions. However, it is notable that the Bureau’s collections dropped from P152.96 billion to P149.84 billion during Alvarez’s time as commissioner.
So what now?
Change seems to be coming. The Corruption Perceptions Index and the Governance World Indicators of the World Bank found the Philippines to be perceived as less corrupt in 2014.
At the same time, politics have been looking more hopeful than not with the current Vice President Jejomar Binay’s recent endorsement of Senator Bongbong Marcos Jr. Binay defended Marcos despite charges of corruption and human rights abuse, claiming that “He (Marcos Jr) is not his father”,. Within the next few months as campaigning begins to intensify, it will become clear whether the trend of corruption is to persist or not.