Where reforms take root

In his November 30, 2024 column for the Manila Bulletin, Sonny Coloma described former Public Works and Highways secretary Rogelio “Babes” Singson as a person for others. Coloma wrote the piece after Singson was named Management Person of the Year by the Management Association of the Philippines earlier that week.

The column went on to highlight Singson’s life through excerpts from his acceptance speech, where he thanked “his parents, wife and family, and those who mentored him through an illustrious career that has spanned more than five decades.” Singson is also known to be a member of Ang Ligaya ng Panginoon, a small family-based organization affiliated with the Federation of Trans-Parochial Communities in the Archdiocese of Manila.

Both Coloma and Singson served in the Cabinet of the late president Noynoy Aquino. Singson is now set to join the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), which will investigate the alleged corruption in flood control projects.

Singson’s story is remarkable because he was assigned to lead the DPWH, like being thrown into a lion’s den, as the agency had long been known as one of the most graft-ridden in government. Yet Singson emerged unscathed and with something to be proud of: cleansing the agency and pushing it to deliver more durable infrastructure that opened up tourism areas and farm-to-market roads, and facilitated the flow of goods and services.

The formula that made Singson successful as DPWH secretary was disarmingly simple: a good, decent, modest family, and a small community-based group anchored in enduring values. It is in grassroots bases like these that real community empowerment take root, nurturing resilience against corruption and bad governance.

A study entitled “Social Capital and Corruption: Vote Buying and the Politics of Reform in Thailand” by Professor William A. Callahan (2005) concluded that corruption cannot simply be eradicated by technocratic reform or moralizing about “good people.” Sustainable solutions require “transforming social relationships, bridging urban and rural divides, and embedding democratic practices in both civil and grassroots networks.” Laws and constitutions alone cannot curb corruption; rules must connect meaningfully with everyday social relations.

In other words, genuine change comes not from lofty rhetoric, moralizing, or policies on paper, but from the daily practice of trust and shared duty in small communities that keep our society whole.

A study on community empowerment by Professor I Nyoman Putu Budiartha and his colleagues, published in the Indonesia-based Community Service Journal of Law (2022), cites the “GONE theory” (Greed, Opportunity, Need, Exposure) as the causes of corruption. It argues that community empowerment specifically reduces “Opportunity” (through collective monitoring) and increases good “Exposure” (through transparency and legal education). Belonging to a close-knit community also strengthens values of honesty and social responsibility, which counter “Greed” and excessive “Needs.”

It is ironic that reformists can be eloquent on national platforms, lobbying for systemic reforms, yet are absent in the small spaces of community life. Unless we cultivate empowered local communities, cooperative structures, and practices of accountability embedded in daily life, change is easy prey for elite capture or lost to indifference.

As we raise our fists in collective national indignation against corruption, we must be reminded that lasting reforms cannot bypass the so-called trivial communities. Reforms survive and thrive only when backed by a decentralized network of accountability and community solidarity. Without our communities, macro-level reforms cannot take root.

A strong nation is measured not by how many heroes or martyrs it produces, but by whether its communities are strong enough that no one is compelled to play the hero or make unbearable sacrifices.