Treading the straight and righteous path: Curbing corruption in the Philippines

• Main Author: Batalla, Eric Vincent C.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2015
• Subjects: Corruption > Philippines; Political Science
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/faculty_research/2169; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/faculty_research/article/3168/type/native/viewcontent
• Institution: De La Salle University

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the anti-corruption performance of the Philippine government, particularly under the leadership of President Benigno Aquino III. Design/methodology/approach – The paper evaluates the anti-corruption measures as represented by pertinent laws as well as anti-corruption agencies (ACAs) under the Aquino administration. Findings – The Aquino government has exercised remarkable political will in acting on high-profile cases involving former government officials, including former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. However, the government’s overall anti-corruption performance is hampered by outdated and conflicting laws, lack of compliance with anti-corruption laws and regulations by public officials and employees, poor ACA operational capacities, judicial inefficiency, deficient organizational systems and change-resistant government agencies, and selective and partial enforcement of anti-corruption laws. These problems are characteristic of Philippine political administrations and are arguably rooted in a system long characterized by fragile state institutions, strong oligarchic control, and weak citizenship. Originality/value – The paper is intended to update scholars, policy makers, and anti-corruption practitioners interested in corruption, ACA performance, and political reform in the Philippines. It discusses corruption-related problems of public administration within the purview of political economy. Based on this perspective, it argues that the key to effective control of corruption is a change in the political system’s configuration rather than the mere change in leadership. © 2015, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.