UNDER THE MICROSCOPE
The public hearings in Congress has opened a whole new can of worms. Well, not really new. Corruption has been with humanity as long as history itself. But it illustrates just how insidious and all-permeating it can be.
But why can’t people really grasp the full meaning of corruption even if it’s staring them in the face? Is it such an abstract concept or so deeply embedded in the subconscious that one can’t fathom how destructive it is to our common welfare?
Perhaps, we need a metaphor to illustrate the gravity of the situation in which we as a nation find ourselves in. Here’s one.
It is not uncommon for us to encounter instances where we see plants growing out from sidewalk cracks, walls, rooftops and almost everywhere humans construct buildings, roads, the MRT7, underpasses, flyovers and bridges. Most common of these plants that somehow manage to germinate and survive in the most hostile environments is the balete (strangler fig), a tree that seems to grow anywhere from out of nowhere.
These plants may seem small so people don’t pay attention to them, dismissing it as just nature trying to reclaim its rightful place amid man’s efforts at building magnificent monuments to civilization. And so, these little trees grow and grow, fed by rain and whatever sustenance it can get from the minerals that were dissolved by the rain. Its roots start snaking around in search of more hospitable environments, and these roots extend further and deeper into the tiniest cracks of the structure it clings to. The roots grow in size and gradually force its way into the inner structures, creating even bigger cracks for its tentacles to penetrate.
The little sapling then grows bigger and bigger, until it eventually overwhelms its host, encasing it in its massive roots and totally claiming ownership of the land that the structure was built on. Picture the temples and buildings of the Angkor Wat in Cambodia, some of which are now encased in the massive roots of the “strangler fig,” so-called because in nature, this is what it does to another tree that acts as its host in its early stages of development. The strangler fig literally kills its host and takes over the spot the host tree sat on, leaving an empty shell where its host used to be.
Corruption is the strangler fig of our society. Because people ignored or tolerated its presence in our midst, it thrived and grew. Now, its roots are pervasive and reach into all the nooks and crannies of society. It is a mighty tree that grips our institutions, both public and private, in its firm embrace.
Sadly, there seems to be a feeling of resignation that’s the way the system is. In dealing with government bureaucracy, many believe that unless you cough up grease money, your papers are going to sit for a long time on someone’s desk, languishing for the longest time, if it ever moves at all.
We seem also resigned to the thought that much of our taxes could find their way to the hands of corrupt politicians who not only dispense the funds for public works (picture flood control projects) but sometimes also own the companies that snag the contract to build them. Imagine that. Our hard-earned money just going to unscrupulous persons who hardly lifted a finger to earn the massive sums that go into their pockets.
Now that the elections are coming, we see the same personalities running for office, not just themselves but their wives, husbands, sons and daughters, in-laws and whatever degrees of affinity or consanguinity. They may claim that they’re running for office to help our citizens, but at the end of the day, they protect their interests. Dynasticism is alive and well in the Philippines.
Corruption also refers to popular persons, be they celebrities or entertainers, who seek public office and when they get elected, don’t know how to function in their new jobs. Instead of having earnest and hard-working senators and congressmen, we have some clowns. We keep voting for unqualified persons so let’s not expect to have a different outcome.
Who’s to blame for this mess we’re in? The majority of voters go for name recall, popularity/notoriety and star power. They don’t have an idea of what public servants should be and what qualifications to look for. Unless this changes, we will continue to be in the grip of the huge tree of corruption.
Don’t you wish we had torn that little sapling out of its niche before it got mighty?