Poverty and Corruption - The Ties That Bind

During the last election campaign we had witnessed the greatest performance of the best performers in the Philippines in a noble role of being a virtuous man living a virtuous life. If election campaign has just been a mere role playing, then it has never been a good opportunity for us Filipinos' to get the chance to know the candidate we're supposed to vote. All of a sudden, after the false officers were elected in their positions, they then changed into something monstrous – corrupt and stonehearted.

Corruption sounded at its loudest during the time of former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada when he was alleged to have committed plunder. But to think of, there’s more on corruption that makes it more controversial. This form of abuse in power includes stealing not just the money of the Filipinos but also Filipinos' opportunities for better life.

Then poverty comes in the picture. How come that a country Philippines, rich in natural resources and manpower could be a victim of scarcity? Would this be, because of the incompetent way of allocating resources, or the obvious one – corruption?

Poverty is not just a state of mind, it is the crisis that many of us Filipinos if not all is experiencing. Due to the loss of money, with no exact explanation at all, there are a lot of services and projects necessary to the crowd that are thrown sorry. With that the people experiences the social cancer, then the economic instability, then what’s next – fight for survival?

Education, health, and many other else were placed into jeopardy, thus affecting other aspects of individual as a citizen of this country, Philippines. The employment rate collapsed and so the crime rate skyrocketed into something threatening. Didn’t you get the point? Corruption gave birth to poverty, and poverty breeds poverty, and if we do nothing at all to stop this, we will always be inside this deadly carousel until our death.

The proposal for the change of form of government from democratic to parliamentary form is not the answer and it will never be. The problem is rooted from the corrupt officials therefore wiping them out in the palace is the key to stop corruption. And as we preclude corruption, we are opening the possibility that poverty might be eradicated. Of course, the way to development does not end in ousting the corrupt officials and choosing the best leader that governs the people the right way. We, as a responsible citizen of this land have our own duty to preserve the beautiful things in our country, and not to act like a villain to it.