Why is it so hard to fight corruption in the Philippines?
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.