The True State of the Philippines: Crime in a Culture of
CorruptionJul 21, 2013 at 3:05 pm6
The Philippine government has long been ineffective at solving
crimes, many of which are categorized as being heinous. Rampant
crime has plagued practically all levels of Philippine society, and
their occurrences have largely been attributed to the weak and
useless systems that characterize the government, especially those
mechanisms within it that are meant to address the crime
problem.
The crime problem has taken its toll on the lifeblood of the
nations socioeconomic situation. Crimes have tremendously affected
the countrys economic growth. A large segment of our people has
lost confidence in the law-enforcing agencies of government. Many
fear that tragedy might suddenly strike them in broad daylight.
Stories from the newspapers (particularly the tabloids) are
sufficient to send tingles down the spine. One thing is certain:
Filipino society is crime-ridden and the government is helpless at
effectively checking and containing the already serious and
increasingly more serious crime problem in the country.
Common Causes of CriminalityCommon causes of criminality can be
traced through sociological and behavioral studies of the human
condition. It is a fact of life that crimes occur only in the human
sphere, and social relations are therefore a major aspect in
approaching the issue of criminality. With this point of departure,
we can objectively mention some factors that have been identified
by professional practitioners engaged in the study of criminality,
among whom are psychologists, sociologists, criminologists and
others.1. Poverty.In a society like the Philippines, where poverty
is a given, no second thought is needed to ascertain that in one
way or another, poverty causes criminality. Crimes are committed in
areas where the urban poor live, and their occurrence is quite
regular. Poverty may not be strictly identified as a direct cause
of crimes but certain circumstances brought forth by and within a
situation of poverty cause them.
On the other hand, in thebook,The Causes and Cures of
Criminality, Eysenck and Gudjonsson claim that: Many if not most
sociological theories boil down to what might be called economic
theories, i.e., crimes as a result of poverty, whether relative or
absolute, deprivation, and similar economic causes. Although such
theories have always had appeal, they do not accord with the facts.
This claim, backed up by figures based on thorough research
studies, attempts to rebut the theory that poverty is a major cause
of criminality. But the research studies were done in the context
of an industrialized society where poverty is not prevalent. The
fact is, in a society that is not generally poor, poverty cannot
really be a major cause of criminality. Hence, the findings
stressed by Eysenck and Gudjonsson cannot be applied, across the
board, to practically all societies. What we only have to accept is
the fact that poverty, in the context of poor countries like the
Philippines, is a major cause of criminality. It is illogical,
however, to conjecture that poverty is the only cause, considering
the fact that other major causes are identifiable, many of which
are bred in an environment that is characterized by the sharp
features of poverty.
2. Abuse of Power.Another prominent cause of crime in Philippine
society is somehow also related to our economic condition. It is
not the type of crime perpetrated by people in a situation of
poverty but one that terribly affects them. It exploits the
economic weakness of the poor, and none but the poor are the
unfortunate victims of its ravaging onslaught. This cause of crime
is:abuse of power.Abuse of power is routinely perpetrated by
powerful government officials and law enforcers with a mandate to
defend the rights of people and protect them from harm. Abuse of
power is terribly serious in the Philippines. In most cases, crimes
related to the abuse of power are not treated as crimes due to
methods of circumventing the laws.Every day newspaper banners
report crimes committed by policemen and military
personnelhold-ups, kidnaps-for-ransom, murders, bank robberies,
carjacking, etc. The crimes of these people are even more heinous
than those committed by some poor, unknown and desperate criminals.
Since the justice system in the country is so discouragingly
defective, most of the time, powerful criminals are exonerated of
their crimes, even those categorized as heinous. Meanwhile, the
unknown, powerless poor suspects in lesser crimes are not given
fair trials and thrown immediately in jail.
Effects of Criminality on the Economy1. Widening Gap Between the
Poor and the Rich.In view of the powerful peoples oppressive and
exploitative attitude towards the poor and marginalized sectors of
the Philippine society, crimes brought about by the abuse of power
have tremendously affected the countrys economic situation.
Oppression and exploitation in themselves are basically crimes that
further manifest themselves as obvious criminal acts like property
grabbing (which is actually robbery), property destruction and
murder.This country is not only notoriously known for its systemic
culture of corruption, but the Aquino administration is also being
associated with the pervasive climate of violence.Notwithstanding
press releases of the Philippine National Police (PNP) citing
steady decline in the crime index, the Aquino administration will
go down in history as the mostcrime-ridden governmentsince the
declaration of military rule in 1972.
The crimes perpetrated by the powers that be are intended to
perpetuate their status of power and to grab more opportunities for
ascendancy and more wealth at the expense of the hapless poor.
These crimes have continually concentrated the wealth of the nation
in the hands of the small percentage of the Philippine societys
wealthy sector, while the big chunk of the people wallow in
poverty. The poor are exploited and oppressed more and more, and
the gap between the poor and the rich continues to widen.2.
Inability to Industrialize Nationally.A desperate act of the powers
that be in their desire to concentrate more wealth and opportunity
into their hands is the utilization of huge capitalization from big
foreign investors. By pushing the poor against the wall of further
poverty, the powers that be have gained access to the manipulation
of the countrys economic resources for the benefit of foreign
investors, who in turn have given the local capitalists the upper
hand to engineer a devastating blow to national
industrialization.
For the interest of foreign business investments, crimes have to
be committed to convert and transform farmlands into industrial
estates. Legal robbery, which is actually land-grabbing, has to be
effected, and stubborn farmers who defy the will of government
officials (who act as brokers for foreign capitalists) are
summarily executed, i.e., salvaged in the local
slang.Industrialization is basically good, but it has to be
initiated and implemented for the national interest. The failure to
do so by accommodating the exploitative schemes of foreign
interests is a crime worse than treason.Reasons Why Law Enforcement
Institutions are Ineffective at Solving Crime and Controlling the
Rising Tide of CriminalityThe number of government law enforcement
agencies and institutions is simply mind boggling. In theory,
crimes should have long been controlled and solved, given the
presence of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and its elite
Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG); the National
Bureau of Investigation (NBI); the Philippine Drug Enforcement
Agency (PDEA), and the intelligence arms of the major commands of
the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). In practice, it is
disgusting to know that what has been going on is the opposite.
Myriads of crimes go unsolved, and the crime situation has never
been truly contained. This is basically due to several factors.
1. Corrupt and Incompetent Law Enforcers.Many law enforcers are
corrupt and therefore unqualified. They are part and parcel of the
corrupt government system. Since they serve the interest of their
corrupt patrons, they acquire from the latter the same character of
corruption. At worst, they themselves function as criminals in the
performance of their duties as protectors of their evil patrons.
This is why the people have lost confidence in law enforcers,
particularly the police.2. Lack of Cooperation Between the Public
and the Law Enforcers.The situation of corruption has led to a lack
of cooperation with law enforcers. The governments Department of
Justice keeps calling on people to cooperate with law enforcement
agencies, with the promise and assurance of protection. But the
people dont bite at the idea because of a lack of trust.3. Confused
Roles of Various Law Enforcement Agencies.Even if law enforcement
agencies were morally upright, another serious problem would hinder
the speedy solution of crimes. When there was not yet a PNP, the
NBI was traditionally tasked with criminal cases that cut across
provincial borders. With the establishment of the PNP, the
jurisdiction to handle criminal cases exactly the same as that of
the NBI has likewise been given to the police. This whole
arrangement has created a confusing situation that in many
instances has put NBI agents and PNP officers in conflicting lines
of authority.4. Governments Lack of Interest to Solve
Crimes.Because of governments focus on power-base expansion and
politicking, it has given the national crime situation a
low-priority, and this is a pathetic scenario: solid proof that the
government is insincere about its mission to serve and help the
people, especially the poor.
ConclusionThis is the true state of the Philippines as a nation.
We are governed by corrupt leaders whose major agenda are their own
personal vested interests. We have law enforcement agencies and
institutions whose major task is to protect and defend the corrupt
leaders of the country and in the process perpetuate the system of
corruption. Because of these conditions, criminality has
proliferated and will continue to proliferate in the next
generations. The whole situation has put common Filipinos at great
economic disadvantage, and poverty is here to stay til kingdom
come. Hopeless? Who holds the key to the most sensible
answer?Editors Note: Ruel F. Pepais a retired university academic
in the fields of philosophy and cultural studies. He was born and
raised and spent most of his life in the Philippines. He is
currently based in Madrid, Spain. Photographs one, two, four, six
and eight byAudio Visual Junkie. Photographs seven, nine, ten and
eleven byJoe Sullivan.Related Articles October 30, 2013How US
Neocolonial Development Failed the Philippines Part I November 7,
2013How US Neocolonial Development Failed the Philippines Part II
November 15, 2013Typhoon Haiyan-Yolanda Exposes Philippine
Governments Failure and Corruption June 24, 2014What Kind of
Leadership Could Bring Social Justice to the Philippines? December
16, 2013Small is Beautiful: A Model of Economic Development for the
Philippines and BeyondZemanta
6 Responses toThe True State of the Philippines: Crime in a
Culture of Corruption1. -2Kelly OhlerJuly 23, 2013 at 5:14 amCome
on now. Poverty does not cause crime. When I received my degree in
sociology in the 1980s, this was clearly understood. What happened
to cause such mass blindness since then? You can dispense with the
subsequent causes too, once you comprehend the actual cause. Stop
playing along with how those in power want you to think. Wealth
causes crime. Once this is fully understood, then the other
so-called causes become part of the root cause public and
governmental apathy, the blurring of the lines between laws and
enforcers of the law because law and government become tools of
those in power, those with wealth. Why is this so difficult to
understand? It is clear to anyone who has actually studied
sociology. -3thomas veselyJuly 24, 2013 at 11:51 pmIt is not so
much poverty but the perceived injustice therein. This causes
massive rejection of the so called norms.2. +7Ruel F. PepaJuly 25,
2013 at 6:51 amI dont care so much about your Sociology. What I
know is I was born and raised and spent most of my life in the
Philippines and I have witnessed in so many cases how criminals are
made in situations of poverty. Besides, this is what I wrote in
case you missed it: Poverty may not be strictly identified as a
direct cause of crimes but certain circumstances brought forth by
and within a situation of poverty cause them. -5MikeAugust 9, 2013
at 7:02 amI enjoyed reading your article. I am a US citizen whos
been going to the Philippines on and off for the past 12 years and
I have made the same observation as described in your article. Its
heartbreaking to say the least when you observe the abuses suffered
by the Filipino people in the hands of those who are
elected/selected to protect them. I really think that the Phi
should be re-taken by the US and be kept as a protectorate for
whatever time it takes or until all government institutions are
strong enough to function properly under the law. I am sure this
comment will go well with a lot of the readers, but thats my wish
for the country and its people. I like Filipinos by the way.3.
+2tristanismAugust 29, 2013 at 6:06 pmNotwithstanding press
releases of the Philippine National Police (PNP) citing steady
decline in the crime index, the Aquino administration will go down
in history as the most crime-ridden government since the
declaration of military rule in 1972.Sir, may I know the basis for
this statement?4. +2bassfenderkiltSeptember 14, 2013 at 11:20
pmRuel Pepa, I agree. I believe also that our problem lies in
culture, and therefore is very deeply routed. I believe that to be
able to change this we need to restructure; do what Singapore and
south korea did. Iron Fist!- See more at:
http://newsjunkiepost.com/2013/07/21/the-true-state-of-the-philippines-crime-in-a-culture-of-corruption/#sthash.t9daNtui.dpufPhilippine
