To be standing in front of all of you, my fellow Filipinos holds such great

honor. I’m sure most of you have already heard of this phrase which swayed for
many generations, “with great power comes great responsibility”. If you can do
something, you should always do it for the good of others. But what if this power
becomes too enticing that the genuine reason to possess such takes its turn to harm
several individuals? If great power harnesses ill and egocentric intentions, then
such misuse and abuse of power leads to the practice of dishonesty and in its nature
is a crime.
To narrow it down simply, corruption. Nothing good comes from corruption;
it interferes with national development with an impact on growth, and prosperity.
As stated by Transparency International’s Corruption Index, the Philippines is the
113th least corrupt nation out of 180 countries. Though it sounds sweet as it seems,
it still means that corruption persists in our government.
The term “National Development” encompasses political, social, economic,
and environmental aspects of a nation but with the bureaucratic type of
government in our country, power is distributed in every state with the discretion
of those in position. This gives government officials, the capacity to control and
regulate the public funds allotted to them.
Furthermore, corruption decreases the funds appropriated to improve
people's good well-being. Based on the Asian Development Bank in 2018, 16.6%
of the Philippine population lives below the national poverty line. Moreover, the
fund for education, health care, and poverty alleviation are slashed down to
prioritize projects that will give bigger kick-backs and enticements to public
servants. On the other hand, taxes that are supposedly “beneficial” turn into a
burden to the poor. Those should not be the case if and only if we have government
officials and public servants who are honest and have a sense of integrity.
Does great power come with great responsibility? I believe, my fellows that
we all spurn the corrupt officials, and we all dream of a corruption-free nation.
Since time is immemorial in one form or another, corruption has prevailed in all
nations. But with the change and emergence of technology, people are now
becoming more vigilant. The culture of millennial politicians is continuously
improving which is grounded more on true and selfless serving.
Government systems are now developing with the inclusion of Sustainable
Development Goals on all local government units. Therefore, it is in the hands of
the new generation that we change the wicked culture of corruption in the
government for many of us hold the potential to become the leaders of our country.
As Dr. Jose Rizal emphasized “the youth is the hope of the nation” A good day to
everyone and God bless!