This episode stemmed from the current brouhaha over public works corruption in the Philippines as revealed recently, particularly involving certain big-ticket contractors, the Department of Public Works and Highway, and members of the legislature.
KEY PODCAST POINTS
* The DPWH flood-control project and the Discaya controversies
* The many reasons why corruption is hard to vanquish in the Philippines
* Corruption as a way of life
* The dominance of political dynasties and why they're the key drivers of corruption
* Corruption normalized but also the public engages also with the practice for practical economic reasons
* Why the corruption accountability mechanisms, such as the Ombudsman and the Sandiganbayan, have been failures
* Would President Marcos Jr., the son of the most corrupt president the Philippines has ever had, change things for the better?
* Why Marcos appointment of the next Ombudsman will be a key indicator of how serious he is in mitigating if not eradicating corruption
* The role of civil society and advocates for reform
* Corruption as a human rights issue and why corruption has a direct link to human rights violations such as the "drug war" killings
* How should the public contribute in the fight against corruption? It starts with small things.