Am concerned about how most of our presidentiables (and many politicians) are blaming corruption for poverty. Not that corruption has nothing to do with it but it is definitely not the major or only cause. I do not agree that there is a single person in this world that is not at all corrupt. We all are. Every single centavo we don't own and knowingly or unknowingly slip inside our pockets is already corruption. Already stealing. A centavo may appear insignificant but if its not from our own sweat and blood, it's theft. Consider how many centavos are being slipped into pockets of whoever everyday.
One of the traits Filipinos have is sense of gratitude. The fact that many are accustomed to asking favors already proves the impossibility of eliminating corruption. Small favors that become more frequent and eventually will have to be returned. This is one form of small corruption that happens daily.
Petty as it may sound but all big things start from small. Say, I am close friends with someone holding important position in a company. Because this person's close to me, I know that he/she will never refuse to help me when I ask him/her a favor. So, when another friend of mine asks help to get a promotion... no matter how incompetent this friend is ...I can still confidently offer help because friend A has the power to grant my request and I know that he/she won't turn me down. And, although, friend A knows that friend B is not competent, he/she will still give him/her the promotion, anyway.
If you look at this scenario there seems to be nothing wrong. But, there will always be expectations from the one granting favor. If not anytime soon...in due time. Plus, the fact that friend B might be a problem, eventually, because of lack of competency, all else is compromised.
This doesn't happen in only one company. Happens to almost all companies for various reasons. Not only in companies, in fact. Even in our daily activities, this has become a practice. Power is everything. And when it is not properly used, the world is in great danger.
Who can truly fight corruption when it is in each one of us? What Ptr. Rico Ricafort mentioned last Sunday is so true. Self-governance is the most effective way to fight corruption. Unless we are strong enough to govern ourselves properly, corruption will always be present. How will we conduct ourselves in certain situations when no one is watching? A very important question to answer.
Poverty has become out of hand not ONLY because of corruption. Those who blame corruption as the cause of poverty are only leading people away from another truth. Poverty is caused by poor self-governance. Why don't we tell the poor people that they should work to feed their children in stead of just waiting for donations? Why don't we teach them to limit their children to 2 if they can't even support 1?
Please don't get me wrong but I just believe that we all must be concerned with the quality of life we give the youth. If a couple is unable to provide proper nourishment to a child, why add another one and let them go hungry? And then, add another one and another one yearly until 13 kids will soon have to share a plate of instant pancit canton.
What am trying to point at now is simple...no one should instill in anyone's head that it is the government's responsibility and obligation to provide for the poor. Assistance should be given but NOT sustenance, as if, only they (the poor) have the privilege to receive provisions from the government. How about the simple employees who pay taxes? The very rich, the business owners, the professionals, doctors, lawyers... they can manipulate their declaration of income, but not the middle class who are doing 9 to 5. These workers receive their wages already with deductions. It is the humble employees who are feeding the poor. It is the humble employees that are paying those in the government positions. The poor represents the bigger percent of the population. Imagine the big number of people who are dependent on the government. Imagine the number of non-tax payers.
From television programs, I get to see how it's like in the slum areas. Those people find shelter under bridges or flyovers...in abandoned lots...along the riverbanks...almost every corners of the streets. And they really look pitiful. I sincerely feel for them. But, being poor is also a choice. Yes, I acknowledge the fact that there are a lot of indigent people who are not given opportunities. We can't put all the blame on them for their fate. But... another but is ...there used to be destitute people who found their way out of poverty. How were they able to do that? Who helped them? What inspired them? In stead of pointing at corruption as the cause of poverty, why don't we educate the impoverished that they "also" have a part in their condition? Open their eyes that if they stop idling around and start keeping themselves busy they can get out of that miserable situation they're in. For as long as we keep giving excuses for their state, they will never learn how to help themselves. They will never learn their own responsibilities to themselves and as citizens of this country.
The thing with over-emphasizing that poverty is a result of corruption...people are made to believe that it is beyond their power to change their status. That it is somebody else's duty to get them out of their misfortune. If everything will be blamed to the government, then, what responsibility do we play as individuals? What is our role as citizens? The government can only do much. We have to play our parts. We can all start by being wise voters. By using our better judgment in choosing who can truly properly run the country. By realizing that talk is cheap. Listen not to the words being spoken but to the facts that are being hidden from us. Realize that those who are telling our less-privileged people that it's the corrupt that is to be blamed, they are only patronizing poverty because, truth is, they want the poor to multiply because this class of people represents the bigger percent of voters.
Why isn't anybody telling the destitute what they should hear? Because those who are aiming for a position in the government know that when they tell the truth, they will repel these people. So, what they do is they empathize with them and act as if they truly care. If they are really sincere, they would tell them the truth and not make them depend on donations. Like the saying goes, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." Knowledge is the best charity we can give anyone. The fact that many politicians don't teach the less privileged to fish means they don't really intend to end poverty. They're promoting it and tell the destitute that it's not their fault they're poor. What makes them poor is corruption. Come on! Tell them where they're doing wrong first and then blame corruption later on. Just my 2 cents.
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