Corruption in the Philippines has persisted for decades not only because it is committed in secrecy or tolerated by institutions, but also because many Filipinos see it as acceptable—especially when they directly benefit from it.
In an interview on DZRH News’ Special on Saturday program on September 20, Dr. Kristoffer Berse of the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG) said studies as far back as 1975 showed how acts considered illegal could still fall within cultural norms of acceptability.
He referred to the work of Dr. Ledivina V. Cariño, titled “Bureaucratic Norms, Corruption and Development,” which examined how small-scale bribery was perceived in the Philippine bureaucracy.
“May mga pag-aaral kasi noong 1975 pa na lumalabas na ang corruption ay nangyayari sa realm ng kung ano ba ang ideal, ano ba ang acceptable, at ano ang illegal. Dati, ang mga maliliit na bagay na may kinalaman sa kultura natin, ang paglagay (bribe), batay sa pag-aaral nina Dr. Cariño, lumalabas na ito ay to some extent, illegal pero within the realm of cultural acceptability,” Berse said.
Berse noted that this mindset eventually shaped broader behavior in governance. Over time, practices that were technically illegal became tolerated, if not outright normalized.
“Ganoon din ang nangyari sa atin, nagkaroon ng sabwatan, to the point na nagiging acceptable na ang something that is illegal,” he added.
His remarks come as thousands are expected to join mass protests on September 21 in Metro Manila against alleged corruption in flood control projects. Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson earlier pointed to nearly ₱1.9 trillion spent from 2011 to 2025 with little progress in mitigating floods.
Berse observed that corruption is reinforced by the way some politicians describe it as part of the system.
“Ang nakakabahala nga, naririnig natin sa bukambibig ng ibang politicians na ganoon na ang kalakaran, na kapag hindi ka kasama, ikaw ay titingnan na parang outsider o panira ng sistema, kasi hindi ka sumasabay o hindi ka nakikiayon sa kalakaran. Tama kayo, kumpleto tayo sa batas, et cetera, lalo na ang bagong procurement law, pero nagkakaroon ng passive na I would say collusion hindi lang sa loob, pati na rin sa labas,” he said.
This perception, Berse stressed, creates an environment where following the rules is treated as unusual, and collusion becomes the default expectation inside and outside of government.
He also said reforms such as open data and open government were introduced to promote transparency, but these have not been carried out as intended.
“Nandyan na, inumpisahan na ang Open Data, Open Government, Open Sharing, para ang mga ganitong usapin ay maiwasan na sa umpisa pa lang. Iyon nga lang, hindi ito nangyayari, for different reasons,” Berse said.
According to him, the problem lies in the unchecked use of authority. Corruption flourishes when officials are allowed wide discretion in decision-making, particularly when it happens away from public scrutiny.
“That’s very basic, kasi ang corruption ay nangyayari because there is some level of discretionary power being granted doon sa certain sectors in the government. What makes it possible, the massive corruption, is when this discretionary power is being exercised in the dark, at walang nakakaalam kung ano ang nangyayari,” he explained.
He further pointed out that corruption now involves both insiders and outsiders working together.
“Usually kasi, ang corruption, you would study sa dating pag-aaral, ang tinitingnan kung internal corruption o external corruption, pero ngayon nakikita natin na it goes both ways, hindi lang siya simpleng korapsyon sa loob o sa labas, na nanggagaling sa external actors ‘yung initiative. Lumalabas sa mga investigation na merong aktibo, parehong aktor sa loob at labas ng gobyerno. Ito ay willfully nangyayari, primarily to extract resources from the government,” Berse said.
For Berse, a key principle in addressing corruption is predictability—that wrongdoing will lead to punishment.
“Isa yan sa mga basic principles of good governance, ang predictability (that there will be punishment), at palagi nating dinidiin yan sa lahat ng kurso, sa academic programs o pati kaya sa executive programs natin sa local government and national government actors,” he said.
He noted that one major obstacle is the leniency often given to high-level public officials implicated in scandals.
“We’ve had several cases of supposed alleged corruption, medyo soft ang naging kaparusahan sa mga taong na-involve. That’s a big part. Kung ma-emphasize ang predictability na ang isang pagkakamali, kahit gaano kaliit o kalaki, ay may karampatang parusa. Kailangan magkasabay ang element ng transparency at predictability, at ultimately, linked to accountability ng officials,” he added.
