BUNTOG, KIMBERLYN R.

MPA-1
PA 263 (The Philippine Administrative System)
Even Saturday (8:00 AM- 2:00 PM)
Prof. Farell M. Relacion, MPS, MBA, JD
May 30, 2021

ACTIVITY 3.2 [COMPARATIVE PAPER]

Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia are Asian countries located in the

southeast part. For starters, Philippines is a republic with the President functioning
as the head of the state and the government. The country’s power is equally
divided among its three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. On the
other hand, Thailand is a parliament-based constitutional monarchy. In which a
king or queen reigns with limits to their power along with a governing body, in their
case, the parliament. While Malaysia practices Parliamentary Democracy with
Constitutional Monarchy. His Majesty, the King as the Paramount Ruler, or the
Head of the State and the Prime Minister as the Head of the Government. The
three countries aforementioned, despite having different ways in showing
execution of duties, still hold the same responsibilities towards their countrymen —
to serve while showing transparency and equality. Talking about responsibility,
government officials are expected to serve equally while holding their moral
grounds, hence, acting upon the promises they made while having the justice
system watching them. Stan Lee once said, and I quote, “With great power
comes great responsibility.” For someone to yield much power, much will also be
demanded. This is what the Peter Parker principle is trying to tell us. But, at some
point, the quote can go by, “With great power comes greed overtaking
responsibility.” In the midst of everything that is happening today, I, for one sure
knows that it is not debatable. That corruption has indeed trampled governments.
BUNTOG, KIMBERLYN R.
MPA-1
PA 263 (The Philippine Administrative System)
Even Saturday (8:00 AM- 2:00 PM)
Prof. Farell M. Relacion, MPS, MBA, JD
May 30, 2021
Corruption consists of many forms, and it can happen both in public and
private sectors. To define corruption, is like to define the branches of science. It is
categorized in different type of subjects that covers different areas. It can happen
within the perimeter of the school. Bribing the school’s administration to let your
child march during the graduation rites despite having grades that makes
someone question if is he going to survive in the real world. It can also happen in
one’s workplace. Talking or paying your way to promotion is one of them. Pray tell
why would someone pay for his promotion when they’re working to gain money?
Easy. It may seem like a lost for the person bribing, but it really isn’t. Promotion is
power, and power is everything. With power you can gain money, and with
money, you can have everything. Thus, it isn’t a question anymore why corruption
never fails to make headlines in news, especially if it falls under the name of a
government officials. It’s basic math. 1+1 = 2, so is greed for money plus thirst of
power equals to corruption.

Last 2019 State of the Nation Address (SONA) President Rodrigo Roa Duterte
said, “I will not let corruption trample our government.” As for anyone who has
voted for the man and even for those who did not, shared the same happiness
upon hearing his statement because for years, we have been nothing, but a
country full of debt. It started during the Marcos Regime, after his term, the
government external debt increased from $600 million to over $6 billion (287 trillion
pesos), a rise from 10 to 20 per cent of GDP. Then, it continued throughout the
years until the Philippines was no longer able to bounce back from what it is
before Marcos’ dictatorship. Came 2001 when Joseph Estrada was elected as
the president, but then later ousted and was charged of plunder for the
BUNTOG, KIMBERLYN R.
MPA-1
PA 263 (The Philippine Administrative System)
Even Saturday (8:00 AM- 2:00 PM)
Prof. Farell M. Relacion, MPS, MBA, JD
May 30, 2021
unmitigated corruption during his administration, amounting to 4 billion PHP.
Followed by Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who shared Estrada's fate after being
charged with plunder, earning her the title of the ‘most corrupt ex-president.’ At
the end of 2016, Benigno Aquino III’s term, Philippines’ debt surmounted to P6.4
trillion. Thus, the people’s reactions after Duterte vowed to end corruption in the
country, sparked hope in the eyes of the Filipino people. But not for long when
COVID-19 hit the Philippines, and everything went haywire. Last Augusto 2020,
Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) pocketed 15 billion PHP. We were
in the middle of a crisis, where people are dying everyday due to the lack of
medical facilities. But what did the government do? Nothing. And now, they
allocated PHP389 million for the dolomite sand for the beatification of the Manila
Bay. We are still in the middle of a pandemic. So, no wonder the Philippines’ debt
rose to P10. 77 trillion at the end of March 2021.

Like in the Philippines, corruption has also taken a great toll in Thailand.
Despite the country having legal framework and a range of institutions to counter
corruption, there are still a lot of bribery and corruption taking place. Prime
Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, elected last 2011 and Thailand’s first female prime
minister and the youngest after 60 years has been put on trial for losses to the state
allegedly amounting to at least USD 8 billion stemming from a rice subsidy
scheme. However, compared to the Philippines’, the government was able to
show its resiliency in handling corruption by implementing the ‘The Organic Law
on Counter Corruption’ that criminalizes corrupt practices of public officials and
corporations, including active and passive bribery of public officials. The Penal
Code also criminalizes embezzlement and trading in influence. With that being
BUNTOG, KIMBERLYN R.
MPA-1
PA 263 (The Philippine Administrative System)
Even Saturday (8:00 AM- 2:00 PM)
Prof. Farell M. Relacion, MPS, MBA, JD
May 30, 2021
said, the country’s debt amounted to around 252,450 million dollars. Compared
to the Philippines’ debt if converted into dollars, Thailand has indeed defied the
odds.

Comparing the three of them altogether, Malaysia has the lowest

Corruption Index. It is relatively low in comparison to the rest of them. Anti-
corruption laws are mainly contained within the Malaysian Anti-Corruption
Commission Act, which covers a range of offenses (including active and passive
bribery, extortion and abuse of office) and penalties for private and public sector
corruption. Transparency International's 2017 Corruption Perception Index ranks
the country 62nd place out of 180 countries. Whilst Philippines ranked in the 115th
place and Thailand in the 99th. With the way how Malaysia properly implemented
laws that handle corruption, it is no question why the country has low corruption
rate.

There is nothing new about economic turmoil occurring as a consequence

of corruption. However, just because we are used in being surrounded and
headed by corrupt politicians, doesn’t mean that we will stay as it is. Why? Do you
want to stay in the same environment where injustice can happen to you anytime
soon? After all, Rapunzel was locked by her mother inside the tower for 18 years,
she did not complain to it not until she realized that there was more to it than just
her, rolling her hair down every day for her mother to hold on to when she has
errands to do outside the tower. Unlike her, Rapunzel only have Flynn, but us, we
have a lot of people behind our backs ready to oust the politicians whose
objective in life is to be corrupt and manipulate people in accepting their
oppression. Philippines has a long history of corrupt people being the head of the
BUNTOG, KIMBERLYN R.
MPA-1
PA 263 (The Philippine Administrative System)
Even Saturday (8:00 AM- 2:00 PM)
Prof. Farell M. Relacion, MPS, MBA, JD
May 30, 2021
state, and it brought nothing, but piles of debt to the country still unpaid up to this
day. Thailand and Malaysia may not have the same situation as the Philippines,
but there will be an instance where corruption will take place again. Not until
people will learn the concept of what corruption really is and how it’s affecting
our lives.

Corruption has long been a prevalent issue. It will always have ties with
money, people’s greed for it, and their morality. When all this time, we always
have the choice to break free from it. For everything is a choice. A choice to be
corrupt or not. A choice to stop corruption or not. A choice to choose, and to
choose to have a choice.