Is corruption caused by bad people or a bad system? Presidential bets weigh in

MANILA, Philippines —  During the second round of the Comelec Presidential Debates on Sunday night, presidential bets were asked: "Ang korapsyon ba ay dulot ng kahinaan ng tao o kahinaan ng sistema?" (Is corruption caused by the weaknesses of people or the weakness of the system?) They were given one minute and thirty seconds to answer the question. 

Here's a rundown of what the candidates said.

Labor leader Leody de Guzman reiterated his main campaign theme of pushing for radical reform in the political and electoral system in the country. 

"Even if our laws are strict...if the political dynasties and [traditional politicians] continue to enter government, corruption will continue," he said. 

"Trapos and dynasties, we shouldn't let them join the elections. Those are just thieves. They have no intention of helping the country," he also said in Filipino. 

If elected, De Guzman said, his administration would revisit the constitutional ban on political dynasties that has lacked an enabling law since 1987.

Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno said that to solve corruption, his administratio would adopt more technology to limit discretion in government transactions. 

Moreno again pointed to his performance as local chief executive of the capital city. He did not answer the question of whether corruption was caused by people or the system of government.

"We gave people the chance to pay their taxes without having to talk to anyone...and they never got to interact with fixers in government agencies," he said.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government eventually awarded the city hall a seal of good governance and housekeeping. 

"These are the things that we have done...we did it in Manila, and we can do it in the entire country."

He finished his answer with twenty seconds to spare. "I'm okay, thank you," he said when asked if he wanted to use the last few ticks. 

Former defense chief Norberto Gonzales also called for systemic change in the Philippine government.

"We have to find out whether there is corruption in our system or corruption has already become the system," he said. 

Gonzales said his government would consider shifting to a parliamentary system of government 

"In my opinion, it's not simply changing the system that we need, but we should also see if we should change the Constitution." 

Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson, a former chief of the Philippine National Police, pointed to "the people who are upholding our laws." 

"The system is not weak. We have many laws, and institutions that are working. It's the weakness of people in government," he said. 

To name a few, the senator, who chairs the Senate committees on National Defense and Security and on Accounts, pointed to laws like the Anti-Red Tape Act, the Government Procurement Act, the Philippine Competition Act, among others. 

"What we need to strengthen is the system of government," he said in Filipino. 

He also pointed out that the government has an Ombudsman — responsible for investigating and prosecuting Philippine government officials accused of crimes, especially graft and corruption — and a Sandiganbayan, which similarly tries and decides criminal and civil cases against government officials and employees accused of graft and corruption and similar other offenses.

Lacson claimed that elected officials should lead by example, saying this was something he learned in his time at the Philippine Military Academy. 

"If the leader can't do what he preaches, it won't succeed," he said. 

Former Sen. Bongbong Marcos could not answer the question when he was asked during his turn, because he was not present at the debate.

"Hanggang ngayon, dedma pa rin siya sa imbitasyon ng Comelec," veteran broadcast journalist Ces Oreña-Drilon, who hosted the second round of debates, said in introducing Marcos' empty spot. 

"Marcos loses the opportunity to answer the questions and clarify his positions on the issues facing the country," Drilon said during Marcos' supposed turn to answer the question. 

Sen. Manny Pacquiao pointed to the need for leadership and political will to solve the problem of corruption. He said that corruption was caused by both people and the system.

"What I want is for the thieves in government to see each other in jail," he said. "It's impossible to lessen those stealing if nobody is sent to prison."

The boxer-turned-senator promised to construct and fill up a mega-prison within six years if elected. 

President Rodrigo Duterte made similar promises to deal with corruption, along with illegal drugs, within six months of his election. 

Vice President Leni Robredo said that corruption was a combination of both systemic weaknesses and those with people in government. 

"The system should encourage public officials to be good," she said in Filipino. 

She agreed that systems for accountability were important, saying those guilty of corruption should be held responsible.

"But equally important is transparency and people empowerment because this is what will prevent government officials from doing wrong, if the processes are transparent."

Robredo, whose office received the Commission on Audit's highest audit rating for three consecutive years, suggested a more transparent citizen's charter and digitized government processes. 

If elected, she also vowed to institute a full disclosure policy across government requiring all offices and instrumentalities to make public all their transactions even without a request.

"The third is empowerment. People should understand the processes and be part of them so that they can watch them through people's councils," she said in Filipino. 

Businessman Faisal Mangondato pointed out that corruption costs "more or less around P750 billion a year."

Mangondato said that all government agencies had corruption. "This system, let's leave it behind and cross over to a new one," he said. He didn't propose a solution. 

"No matter how good the system is, if the attitude is that people are inherently corrupt, they will slip through the law. There is a wide degree of discretion among public officers," anti-vax doctor and lawyer Jose Montemayor  Jr. said in Filipino.

Former presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said that the government should enable citizens to take part in their local government units, saying the system should be strengthened. 

"Corruption has been one of the reasons why there is such a big gap between the rich and the poor," he said. 

"We should include the participation of civil society and activate them in the participation of local governments."

In the second round of the Comelec Presidential Debates on Sunday night, presidential candidates were divided in groups of three per segment and given one question to debate on per group. The question on corruption was among the only ones that all candidates were made to answer. 

Previously, organizers asked just one general question per segment which all of the candidates were made to answer one by one.

This time around the second debate's questions largely centered on foreign relations, government accountability, and safety and security after the first round took up the coronavirus pandemic and the Philippine economy.