The ground is shifting

In the coming weeks or a couple of months, expect cases to be filed and arrest warrants to be issued against contractors and politicians tied to the trillion-peso flood control projects scandal.

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla told The Philippine STAR’s Amy Pamintuan that they are eyeing the issuance of arrest warrants against those involved in the anomalous flood control projects this November. Detention centers and jail facilities are also being inspected and spruced up in preparation for the expected batch of accused.

But this is not the main reason for my optimism about what’s coming. The main reason is this: the people’s anger at systemic corruption in our governance has not dissipated. The ground is shifting, and I must say that civil society and the movements for good governance, in general, must prepare and be mature enough to seize the moment.

This is not a time for ideological purity or intellectual snootiness; it is a time for unity and common ground in the pursuit of good governance. Too often, reform movements end up exhausting themselves in factional one-upmanship or purity policing. There is no need for those on the Left to quarrel among themselves over doctrine or strategy, nor for those on the Right to dismiss them with red tags. The so-called Center, meanwhile, retreats into tepid moderation, hesitant to be associated with either pole.

Systemic corruption and institutional decay recognize no ideology, though they often find fertile ground among those without any except loyalty to patronage, clan, and convenience. If people across the political spectrum can’t find some shared purpose, those who profit from corruption and impunity will keep us divided.

The challenge now is to build alliances broad enough to demand accountability yet grounded enough to act decisively. That work begins from the ground up --in our puroks or sitios, in community associations, and even in the workplace-- where a culture of accountability must take root, where people first encounter the meaning of good governance.

I hit my wall over a year ago when I found myself appearing before a government agency in the national capital on behalf of a client. A fellow lawyer had already warned me that the agency was known for its culture of corruption and that my client would stand no chance if he was penniless, which he was. Indeed, I was given the runaround by powerful people; it was as if I didn’t belong there, and the rules and processes on paper meant nothing without greasing the system in your client’s favor.

I was so frustrated. I had no direct evidence of corruption, but somehow you could feel it. People in the know, friends you trust, tell you what’s really going on. They say nothing can be done about it. It’s a good thing my client was broke --not poor, but without the six-figure “requirement” that’s commonly asked for, according to reliable sources. I wouldn’t have allowed it anyway, not on my watch as his counsel.

I did the next best thing I could for my client: I sought guidance from a highly-placed friend in the capital on how to ensure the case would be handled strictly by the book. I moved past any suggestion that might be read as invoking personal connections. But it was already a relief to have someone try to help within proper channels.

That experience reminded me of a larger problem: when institutions are weak and rules are compromised by bad culture, people start to believe outcomes depend on money or connections rather than clear standards.

I became so frustrated that every time former classmates from college and high school who are now living abroad visit, I always end up raising the issue of systemic corruption. It usually starts when they ask how life is in the Philippines, because most of them have plans of retiring and spending their old age here. I tell them our country is beautiful --except for the unbearable corruption, the dynasties, and the lack of opportunities for ordinary individuals to innovate, shine, and lead.

I am no hero to fight corruption alone, or with only a few. But now, we are not so few anymore. Before, protest actions were met with frowns and disapproving looks from bystanders and commuters. Now, commuters and bystanders raise their fists, cheer the protesters on, some even clap their hands. They are no longer disinterested or contemptuous. Indeed, the ground is shifting.