The country is rich with images of corrupt public figures, from the buwayas in Congress to pot-bellied kotong cops on our mean streets to lowly-paid government bureaucrats with posh mansions and luxury cars.
Will these images be ever erased from the national narrative?
One sector of our society–the arts sector–is exploring avenues for eradicating the so-called "culture of corruption" in our society.
Last April 19, in the thick of the campaign for local and national elections, Sugpuin ang Korupsiyon, a 30-minute weekly radio drama-talk show was launched. A joint production of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (ccp) and the Manila Broadcasting Company (mbc), Sugpuin airs every Saturday at 2 p.m. on dzRH.
According to Eva Mari Salvador, officer-in-charge of the Cultural Exchange and Communication Services Department of the ccp, Sugpuin ang Korupsiyon aims to make the audience aware of the civic responsibility to fight graft and corruption in public service.
The show itself was inspired by the play Anatomiya ng Korupsiyon written by award-winning playwright Malou Jacob, which was staged by Tanghalang Pilipino in the early ’90s and toured the regions and different government agencies.
Anatomiya tells the story of Cely, a lawyer working for a government agency handling family legal cases. An idealistic young woman armed with deeply ingrained values, she joined government service full of enthusiasm for public service only to find herself the object of scorn in a small office mired in corrupt practices from the judge down to the janitor.
"Lahat ng opisina may kanya-kanyang operasyon. Kahanga-hanga ang imahinasyon ng empleyado ng gobyerno. Lahat pinagkakakitaan–ultimo ‘yang transcript na hawak mo," her immediate superior says in a confrontation scene. "Ano ba talaga ang gusto mong mangyari? Eradicate corruption? There will always be corruption. Kahit sino ang nakaupo. Kung ihahambing mo ang korupsiyon sa taas dito sa ibaba–petty theft tayo."
Salvador says that Cely’s plight mirrors the dilemma of millions in government service. "What if your boss is corrupt, what if the whole office is corrupt?" The higher the stakes, she reveals, the more well-entrenched the system is and the harder it is to dismantle.
"You’d be surprised that there are a lot of anti-corrpution task forces, so many places to go to to report government malpractice. But people don’t use these avenues. Di pa kaya ng tao to risk to tell on someone who is cheating. They are hesitant," Salvador says.
She explains that under our method of reporting, the burden is on the whistleblower and not the suspect. "The moment you catch the person, you have to prove it–at the expense of your job, your family, even your whole life," she adds.
Before the play was adapted into a radio drama-talk show, Anatomiya ng Korupsyion was translated into local dialects and toured the regions in cooperation with local theater groups.
"We decided to localize it because the story of corruption in the local level is different. We approached different theater groups in Davao, the Visayas, here in Manila and North Luzon and asked them if they would be interested in adapting it so that they can apply the nuances and realities in their places," she explains.
The goal, she says, is to get people to understand the roots and realities of corruption and to open avenues for discussion in the local community.
So far, Jacob’s play has been translated into Cebuano, Ilocano and Ilonggo and shown in Davao, Bukidnon, La Union and Bacolod City through the efforts of the Kaliwat Theater Collective, the Barasoain Kalinangan Foundation, Tropang Paltok and the Maskara Theater Ensemble.
Here in Manila, it was staged in various government offices such as the Department of Agrarian Reform in Quezon City, the National Library in Manila and the GSIS in Pasay City.
The feedback from these varied audience has been very positive.
"A lot of people volunteered to give feedback and said that they empathized with Cely," Salvador shares. "She wants to correct the system but she is helpless. In the end, she was blamed for everything."
The favorite scene everywhere, Salvador reveals, is the confrontation scene with the boss, which organizers interpret as a silent clamor of the majority for reform, if only they had the means to change the system.
"We taught of using the radio as a medium for this show," she says, "to reach as many people as possible, especially in the regions."
The program format is simple. The first 15 minutes is devoted to dramatization of one episode of the play and the next 15 minutes is devoted to discussion. Hosted by Ruth Abao, the discussion part explores the theme of the drama with the guest or guests invited for the show.
For the first eight episodes of the show, they had as guests like Budget Secretary Emilia Boncodin and Civil Service Commissioner Karina David to discuss issues that concern government employees and the public’s comments on the conduct of state workers.
The first eight episodes used scenes from Jacob’s play to dramatize problems in government service such as tardiness, under the table transactions, and use of office time to earn extra income.
However, the succeeding episodes will feature dramatized accounts of letters from the audience on their experiences with graft and corruption.
Salvador reveals that the listening audience is already participating through call ins and letters. Radio, she says, gives these people a cloak of anonymity and some measure of confidence, unlike in forums in government offices or in the community where the play was staged where people have to give feedback face to face with their bosses or with the corrupt government officials they are complaining about.
"You’d be surprised how our letter senders describe today’s tales of graft and corruption as they happen in real life," Salvador shares. "According to one letter, it is no longer just cash that corrupt people in government offices are after. Anything of value that they see in your possession could be extorted– like a simple pasa load."
So is the Filipino culture really basically corrupt?
"I think our katutubos will refute that," Salvador argues. "The basic Filipino value is based on honor and integrity. Before the coming of the colonizers, our elders had the Code of Kalantiaw which deals with violations of honor and integrity very harshly. Filipino culture is really based on honor."
"Talaga bang hindi tumatanggap?" Cely’s boss asks one of the staff.
"Talagang hindi tumatanggap," the employee answers. "Ganito yan kung inaabutan e: ‘No thank you. That’s part of my job.’ Pati tuloy yung stenographer nawalan."
"Pakitang tao lang yan. Give her time." the boss replies. "Makikita nyo di magtatagal baka mas matinik pa sa atin yan."
In our everyday struggle as a nation, how many more Cely’s are there in the system to fight for what is right and honorable? How long before our remaining Cely’s are swallowed up by the system?
The cycle goes on, Salvador says, unless we do something about it.