A recent survey by Pulse Asia concerning "acts considered as corruption" has raised worry - and alarm - among anti-corruption crusaders.
It revealed that while some acts of overt corruption such as bribery, misuse of public funds and giving kickbacks are perceived as "corrupt" by majority of Filipinos, other covert acts have, apparently, become accepted as part of everyday life.
Among these "acts considered as corruption" that apparently did not bother Filipinos so much include nepotism, tax evasion, and non-disclosure of conflicts of interest.
This survey underscores how corruption has become so entrenched among Filipinos from all walks of life that they consider it not as corruption but as simply a way of getting along.
And when corruption has become part and parcel of everyday life, apathy sets in.
Combined with the current economic struggles of ordinary Filipinos, many of us have either adopted the "bahala na" attitude, or even turned a deaf ear and a blind eye on the rampant robbery of public funds such as that being exposed in the past few months.
Countless protest actions, calls on social media and even out on the street, and yet many of us have largely relegated our “activism” to social media posts that, frankly, do not translate to action in real life.
However effective social media has been in raising awareness among Filipinos on the rotten extent of corruption, what is needed is to encourage them to actually translate that resistance in their everyday lives.
And it does not have to be going to protest marches or putting up posters decrying corruption.
Even simple pushbacks like refusing extortion attempts insisting on proper procedure instead of paying for “shortcuts,” or even filing legal action against suspected corrupt officials can send a strong message.
Let’s get out of the “comfort zone” of social media and translate our rage into concrete action.
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