Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano said the country must do more than prosecute corrupt officials, stressing that the Philippines also needs to end the culture of corruption that allows wrongdoing to persist.
In his Kontra-SONA on Tuesday, July 28, Cayetano said corruption will continue unless the mindset and system behind it are changed.
“We have to address corruption. But we have to address [also] the culture of corruption,” the Minority Leader said.
According to Cayetano, corruption begins with small dishonest acts that gradually become accepted as normal in society.
“Sasabihin natin huwag magnakaw sa flood control pero ina-address ba natin yung simpleng pagsisinungaling sa araw-araw? Ina-address ba natin na sa bawat kailangan ng Pilipino [tulad ng pagkuha ng] lisensya, business permit, real property tax, customs, ay may lagayan?” he said.
Cayetano said it is not enough to arrest people involved in scams if the root cause of corruption remains unaddressed.
“The culture of corruption continues to lay hold, [and] I believe there’s a spiritual aspect to that battle,” he said.
The senator also referred to the alleged irregularities in flood control projects, an issue that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. also discussed in his SONA.
Cayetano said restoring public trust in government requires genuine reforms and accountability for those responsible.
“Importante [na] ma-resolve yan. Importante [na] malaman ng taong bayan y’ung nangyayari, [Dapat malaman nila kung] ano ang ginagawa, ano ang pwedeng gawin, anong reporma ang pwede,” he said.
“Dapat kasi bumalik ang tiwala sa leaders at sistema. ‘Pag y’an ay hindi binanggit at hindi inayos, lahat ay suspect [sa korapsyon,]” he added.
Cayetano also emphasized that no country has achieved lasting progress without confronting corruption.
“Walang bansa sa mundo nang hindi dumaan sa korapsyon. At walang bansa na umunlad na hindi, kahit papaano, na-address ang korapsyon,” he said.