Culture of Corruption: The Corruption of Culture

Culture is directly linked with politics and economics.  Thus, the problems that beset artists and cultural workers are not isolated from those of the people—opportunities for work, decent wages, and basic rights to education and health.

By Concerned Artists of the Philippines
Posted by Bulatlat

The arts as expressions of reality and hope are indeed potent, and the recognition of these as effective agents for social transformation is apt.  However, the arts serve a master; and whom it serves is with whom the artists and cultural workers stand, consciously or unconsciously.  Thus, it is important for us to carefully analyze the messages of our works and the purpose of our being. 

The policy direction of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s administration is inscribed in the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan 2004-2010 (MTPDP 2004-2010). It opens with a quote from GMA,

“…We must open up economic opportunities, maintain socio-political stability, and promote good stewardship-- all to ensure a better quality of life for all our citizens..."

Right off the bat, the myth that opening up the economy or globalization will ensure a better quality of life for the citizens is generated.  Even before people power gave GMA the presidency in 2002, “globalization” has been her mantra.  The long wait for the promise of “a better quality of life…" is driving the people back to reality.

The MTPDP 2004-2010 dedicates Chapter 20 on Culture.  However, the administration’s policies and practices in the sphere of culture are full of contradictions and deception.

This chapter emphasized utilizing culture in poverty alleviation.  Using a distorted sense of “creativity,” the government has “reduced” poverty.  NSCB data showed that, in 2003, there were about 23.5 million Filipinos living below the poverty line, as compared to 25.4million in year 2000.  The government achieved this by changing the “average family size in its computations to five members from the previous six.”^[1]

In text and in practice, the government’s use of culture in poverty alleviation means encouraging the generation of jobs or livelihood from cultural tourism and cultural industries; and partnering with the Dept. of Tourism on programs particularly in boosting local cultural tourism.^[2]

In line with this, this section goes on to push for supporting “the production of traditional and contemporary crafts and products such as weaving, pottery, musical instruments, basketry, music, films, and performing arts…”

Raw materials for traditional crafts are now endangered because of environment degradation. This factor is aggravated by the encroachment of private interest groups on indigenous people’s ancestral lands.

Moreover, opening up the country to foreign mining firms and militarization in the countryside are policies that contradict support for the production of traditional crafts.  Not unless the government means “production” in the capitalist sense whereby the producers or creators are alienated from the end products.

 “Culture” and “traditional” means that the “products” (tangible or intangible) are part and parcel of a people’s way of life.  It is relevant and, therefore, meaningful.  This is what gives “culture” and the “traditional” its value.

In terms of contemporary artistic products, the government leaves the sector to fend for itself, just like the other service oriented sectors of health, education, and social welfare.  Over the past years, the budget for social services has declined. Directly or indirectly, these agencies are encouraged to solicit support from the corporate sector.

Corporate support of the arts and culture sector gives corporations control of these aspects of society.  Artists are made to feel economically insecure and inhibited if creations are criticisms directed on corporations.  Works that promote values and work ethics that are investor friendly thus become the epitome of excellence.

GMA’s Anti-Corruption Drive and Culture

GMA came to power with the promise of eradicating corruption, as one of the main issues against her ousted predecessor, Joseph Estrada, was massive corruption.  Before she ended her first term as president, her administration was beset by corruption scandals.  Among these are the over-priced Diosdado Macapagal Highway, the preferential treatment given to CODE-NGO bonds, and the “Jose Pidal” controversy.

GMA officially embarked on a culture-based anti-corruption campaign on May 2004 when she issued Executive Order (EO) No. 314, which created the Presidential Commission on Values Formation (PCVF). 

The EO is premised on “the Filipino’s strong desire to see the establishment and institutionalization of just and moral governance.”  It is important to note that the EO was signed on April 30, 2004, ten days before the presidential elections.  One of GMA’s campaign platforms was a “corruption-free” Philippines,^[3]  and a serious election issue against GMA was the misuse and abuse of government resources to fund her campaign.

The EO provides that the PCVF shall be the lead agency “in the establishment of a strong foundation for moral value formation in the government bureaucracy” (Section 3).  Here’s the hitch—the PCVF shall be supervised and controlled by the Office of the President (Section 2).

In the MTPDP 2004-2010, after the chapter on Culture is on Anti-Corruption.  Consistent with its policy direction of globalization, the chapter opens with:

“To create jobs, the country has to attract investments, and to attract investments, it has to focus on strategic measures to bring in more investments and to make the domestic environment more globally competitive. To improve the country’s ability to attract foreign investments means building an effective government bereft of graft and corruption…” (emphasis by the author)

This is a clear statement that the foundation of the government’s anti-graft and corruption drive is to attract investments. We can therefore deduce that the “just and moral governance” referred to in EO314 is one that facilitates free trade, not necessarily one that is concerned with the plight of the people.  Likewise, “incorrigible and undesirable government personnel” are not necessarily the corrupt officials but more so those who are opposed to the government’s liberalization policies.

The Anti-corruption chapter further states that, “The culture of corruption in the country breeds the vicious cycles of poverty and underdevelopment.”  To articulate this hypothesis, on April 2005, GMA issued Presidential Proclamation No. 828 (Declaring a decade (2005-2015) of good governance and good citizenship to fight corruption and eradicate poverty), whereby the war against graft and corruption is expected to “result in poverty eradication by addressing the …losses in terms of undelivered basic services and programs.”

While it is true that a considerable amount of public funds is lost due to corruption, corruption aggravates, but is not the cause of the lack of social services.  To start with, of the P907 billion national budget for 2005, 33% goes directly to debt interest payments and 32% to salaries of government employees.  This leaves very little for development programs and social services.^[4]

Linking corruption with poverty is deception in the highest degree. Any anti-corruption campaign by the government will result in merely superficial (pakitang tao) effects, because it is contradictory to the nature of existence. With the present system, how political and economic power is gained and maintained is at the root of corruption. While in power, they use sophisticated (“cultured”) schemes to rent seek and/or lobby for MOAs, executive orders, administrative orders or republic acts which are favorable to their vested interests.

At this point, it will be safe to state that some government policies and laws are the fruits of corruption.  This is an affirmation of the saying that “not all that is legal is just and moral.”

Much as it is ironic for anybody in government to be preaching about graft and corruption, it is in line with its policy direction of globalization.  At the APEC conference held at Santiago, Chile on November 2004, the U.S. Press Secretary, issued a fact sheet entitled, “U.S. Actions at the APEC Leaders' Meeting:
Expanding Trade and Fighting Corruption.”  The opening sentence reads:

“Today, President Bush and other APEC Leaders took action to increase global and Asia-Pacific trade, promote policies that spur economic growth, and fight corruption.” [5]

The GMA administration’s anti-corruption initiatives must also be for practical intents, as the U.S. government, USAID and the World Bank has announced funding for corruption mitigation.  In short, there’s money in anti-corruption drives!

Nonetheless, corruption allows the political and economic elites to sell-out and exploit our country’s human and natural resources. This dynamics make the Filipino masses the victims of corruption.  This should be the reason behind our persistence in countering corruption. 

Thus, our efforts should extend to actively resist unequal treaties, foreign dictates, the exploitative political and economic system, or policies and structures that keep the country underdeveloped.  This is the concretization of a holistic anti-corruption/poverty eradication drive.

The Arts and Culture and Media

Culture encompasses worldview, habits, attitudes, beliefs and tastes. The arts are creative expressions of culture which dominate everyday lives and transmitted from generation to generation.  Thus, it is correct to state that art and culture are potent tools to fight corruption and effective catalysts for change. 

A lot of creative works (and its messages) are now transmitted through media.  Media’s reach and its power to form concepts of what is good or bad (values) and what is right or wrong (morality) is obvious.  In the same light, this power makes media an effective merchandizing tool-- to show and sell products to the market (the general public). 

In recent years, globalization has facilitated the concentration of media ownership to five conglomerates worldwide.  Monopoly of content by mega-corporations will reinforce corporate values-- money is supreme; profit is the goal and disabling the competitor is the strategy.

Alarming to note is the final chapter of the MTPDP is the Constitutional Reform section, whereby the GMA administration plans to push for changes in the restrictive provisions on national economy and patrimony.  One item beneficiaries of this provision are salivating for is media.

IPR and the Filipino artists

Related to the technological developments in media is the anti-piracy Optical Media Bill.  This was enacted to ensure the protection of the rights of artists to their creations versus unlicensed duplication.  At first glance, this seems advantageous to artists. In fact, not a few (artists) laud this move. 

But artists and the public should view this matter in the wider context of globalization. The imbalance of trade and opportunities between developed and underdeveloped countries includes the objective conditions of the global commerce on cultural products.  If Filipino artists concentrate on asserting the protection of their rights through Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) laws, the credits would actually accrue more on the global media conglomerates’ books (—because they dominate the market).

Moreover, actors do not own the “rights” to their audiovisual performances. Hence, the IPR law will not expropriate the profits garnered from the implementation of this law to the actors and other creators; but it will collect more profits for the producers or capitalists.

Anti-piracy policies without laws that promote and protect local arts and culture will put artists deeper into the pit.

Challenges

Culture is directly linked with politics and economics.  Thus, the problems that beset artists and cultural workers are not isolated from those of the people—opportunities for work, decent wages, and basic rights to education and health.  It is therefore not enough for artists and cultural workers to just be observers and documentors of reality, facilitators of messages and preachers of things-to-do.  We are a part of society and if, therefore, we seek change, we should be part of the movement for change.

In particular, our challenge is to be in the forefront of the movement for nationalist arts; the arts that are agents for the formation of a liberating and progressive culture.  The correct formula is ensuring that the foundation of our creativity is in our exchanges, shared moments and solidarity with struggles of the basic sectors of society.

The arts as expressions of reality and hope are indeed potent; and the recognition of these as agents for social transformation is apt.  However, the arts and the culture it generates serve a master; and whom it serves is with whom the artists and cultural workers work for, consciously or unconsciously.  As activist artists, it is important to carefully analyze the messages of our works and the purpose of our being so that we will effectively serve the interests of our master-- the Filipino masses. Posted by Bulatlat

*This paper was presented by the Concerned Artists of the Philippines to the conference on corruption in culture sponsored by the National Council on Culture and the Arts on May 23-25, 2005 in Manila.

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[1] Yu, Joseph. 2005. To cut the number of poor Filipinos, government redefines poverty. IBON Features Vol XI No 14. April 21.

[2]   Culture: “Goals, Strategies and Action Plans.” MTPDP 2004-2010.

[3]   http://www.news.ops.gov.ph/archives2004/mar19.htm

[4] 2005. Stratbase Public Affairs and Research Consultancy Group. Bad governance, corruption and new taxes. BusinessWorld. Vol. XVIII, No. 199. May 4. Manila.

[5]  http://tokyo.usembassy.gov/e/p/tp-20041124-12.html

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