Corruption v. Instability: Beyond the NBN-ZTE Scandal

Much of the television and radio airwaves have been dedicated, for the last few days at least, to the unraveling story of the NBN-ZTE scandal. Dramatic as his appearance was, the damning testimony of Jun Lozada failed to electrify--if only because most of the country has already accepted the accusations against top government officials to be true, albeit unconfirmed.

In fact, Lozada's brave testimony has given rise to what appears to be the general sentiment of incredulity at the brazenness of government corruption. The public outrage that should have been engendered by such revelations appears to have been the first casualty in a country entrenched in a system of bribery and dishonest bureaucracy. The Neri directive sums the culture quite nicely: the honest public officer is really one who "moderates greed." As accepted as the culture might be, on the other hand, it is the status quo, and many administrations have operated--not always smoothly, it must be said--despite it. As imperfect as the system has always been, it has at least been predictable, and stable as far as that predictability allows.

The NBN-ZTE scandal places the country in a difficult situation: do we push for the punishment of the people involved, or do we rally for the kind of cultural catharsis that will prevent the problem from recurring? The former will only produce smarter criminals (which is not saying much), but the latter will do away with what token economic stability the country has achieved since the Asian financial crisis. The Makati Business Club has already aired its views regarding the impact of the scandal on the Arroyo administration, leaving room for thought as to the reaction of foreign investors.

Either way, it seems that only a token few are at the helm of a sinking ship that has traditionally floated just a few inches above water. Whether the Arroyo administration weathers the storm, or public sentiment causes politicians to jump ship and swim to safety, the question remains: where will the country go from here?