In the middle of the ongoing scandal about flood control projects, I could not help but conclude that the problem is systemic. Yes, corruption may have been committed at the personal level, but the system itself seems designed to breed it.

Take the case of contractor Sara Discaya, who claimed that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials “made her do it.” That line almost sounds like “the devil made me do it.” From a Christian perspective, the devil may tempt—but it is the human being who commits the sin. By her own choice, Discaya offered the bribes. The DPWH officials, by their own choice, accepted them. She committed corruption, they committed graft. Both sides are guilty.

But here’s the kicker: long before the Discayas came into the picture, the system of graft and corruption was already in place. They merely took advantage of it—perfected it, even. The so-called “kalakalan” among DPWH officials, contractors, and congressmen became a way of doing business. Lawmakers even inserted funds into the national budget, claiming them as “their” projects, treating public money as personal ownership.

This is why I say the Philippines is a “soft state,” borrowing the term from Swedish economist Gunnar Myrdal, who described countries where laws exist but are weakly enforced, where social indiscipline thrives, and where corruption becomes the rule rather than the exception.

Think about it. We have strong anti-graft laws on paper. We have environmental laws, health regulations, traffic rules, and transparency measures. Yet enforcement is selective and often toothless. The rich and powerful get away with murder—sometimes literally—while ordinary citizens feel the full brunt of the law.

In his book Asian Drama: An Inquiry into the Poverty of Nations, Myrdal explained that soft states are those where both the government and the people routinely disregard formal rules. Sound familiar? In our barangays, the spirit of pakikisama (getting along) often overrides what the law says. From traffic enforcers waving off violations to politicians turning a blind eye to illegal logging, the pattern is the same: laws are negotiable.

So here is the real question: did graft and corruption cause the Philippines to become a soft state? Or did the soft state create the fertile ground for corruption to flourish? I believe it’s the latter. The weak enforcement of rules created the conditions that allowed corruption to prosper.

What do we do now? If we remove corrupt officials and contractors, will the problem go away? I doubt it. Others will simply take their place unless we dismantle the system that allows graft and corruption to thrive. We cannot just keep changing actors; we must change the stage.

Economist Raul Fabella once said the Philippines “remains a soft state” because of our tolerance for rule-breaking—from traffic violations to tax evasion. Former National Security Adviser Jose Almonte said the same thing when he lamented our culture of “unearned income.” And just look around: from illegal settlements sprouting on riverbanks to politicians using public funds as personal war chests, the signs are everywhere.

Yet I do not want to leave you with despair. Civil society in the Philippines remains vibrant. Our media, despite challenges, continues to expose wrongdoing. Our judiciary—when it musters courage—can still make landmark rulings, as in the case of the West Philippine Sea arbitration. These are cracks of light in the darkness.

But let’s be honest. What we need in the long run is to transform into a “hard state.” Not in the sense of authoritarianism, but in the sense of having rules that are clear, consistent, and fairly enforced. A hard state is one where no one is above the law and where public institutions command respect instead of suspicion.

The challenge is huge. Do we start from the top by reforming political dynasties and budget insertions? Or do we start from the ground up, through barangay-led monitoring systems and citizen oversight? Perhaps both.

For now, I leave you with this thought: as long as we accept that corruption is “just how things are done,” we will remain soft. But if we start building systems that make corruption difficult and honesty rewarding, then maybe, just maybe, we can harden our state—not overnight, but in due time.

Ramon Ike V. Seneres, http://www.facebook.com/ike.seneres

iseneres@yahoo.com, senseneres.blogspot.com

01-02-2026