We may or may not witness the guilty-people involved in the flood control corruption scandal go to jail before Christmas, as promised by President BBM.  Over the longer term, however, can we  expect to enjoy Christmas  with more justice and peace by reducing the corruption in the Philippines to a tolerable level. To combat corruption, we must exert efforts to strengthen and clean up such institutions as the Ombudsman, the Supreme Court, the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, the BIR, Bureau of Customs, the Legislature, etc.  These are completely necessary steps.  But these steps are not sufficient.  After all, we have sent two Presidents to jail and a good number of top government officials and business people.  Corruption has actually worsened.  We have passed a good number of laws such as those related to anti-money laundering, red tape, conflicts of interest, etc.  There has been no significant reduction of corruption. 

              We can only celebrate a really joyful Christmas, enjoying a really peaceful and progressive society, only if we are able to form a critical mass of Filipinos who are truly civic-minded, committed to promoting the common good, in a word patriotic.  How do we achieve such a goal?  We may learn from two Asian countries that are role models of a low level of corruption, i.e,   Japan and Singapore.  It is no coincidence that these are the two who have brought down corruption—both in the public and private sectors—to a tolerable level.  Japan led the way and Singapore just followed its example.  When Lee Kuan Yew took over as authoritarian leader of the latter, the inhabitants then of the former British colony were not exactly paragons of integrity, industry, and concern for the common good.  It took a long process for their leader to implement a plan to follow the example of Japan in the manner in which the citizens were educated from childhood to always work for the common good and live the virtue of patriotism.

              Let me explain.  By promoting a close cooperation between parents and the schools, Japan cultivates social virtues—such as respect for others, discipline, spirit of cooperation, responsibility, and orientation to the common good—through a systematic combination of family upbringing, school practices, cultural norms and community institutions. These habits are nurtured early in life and are continuously developed throughout life.  Japanese families instill what is called “omoiyari” (thoughtfulness for others) from early childhood (in contrast with the self-centered child upbringing practices of many middle-income households in the Philippines).    Children are taught to be considerate, avoid inconveniencing others, and maintain harmony.  Parents emphasize politeness (greetings, gratitude, honorific speech).

 Here, we have to be wary about middle-class Filipino households becoming “Americanized” when children are allowed to call their parents using their first names. They no longer employ such honorific terms like “Opo” when talking to their elders. At least during the old days, Japanese children learned routines such as helping with household tasks, sharing and apologizing sincerely after having offended others.  As regards helping with household chores, it may be providential that it is no longer possible for middle-income families in the Philippines today to employ household helpers as easily in the past.  Members of the nuclear family are now increasingly obliged to participate in all the household tasks such as cooking, washing dishes, doing the laundry, cleaning toilets, etc.

In pre-school and kindergarten, Japanese early education focuses more on character building rather than academic rigor.  Some of the key practices are:  group play and cooperation over individual competition; emphasis on self-reliance:  children are obliged to put away their personal things, dress themselves and serve meals; there is early introduction to cleanliness and orderliness; teachers model calmness; patience and respect instead of strict punishment.  This stage of early education helps form the habit of acting as part of a group while taking responsibility for oneself.

In the Japanese elementary schools, there are practices that directly instill civic virtues.  Students clean their own schools, hallways, toilets, and school grounds. These practices build responsibility, humility, respect for shared spaces, and cooperation. They reinforce the idea that everyone contributes to the community, regardless of social status. Students rotate roles such as leading greetings, managing lunch distribution, organizing materials, watering plants, or monitoring hall behavior.  All these practices create a sense of ownership, discipline, and civic duty.  One of the classes taught is about moral education (dotoku kagami) In these classes, the following are taught, reinforcing what they have learned through experience:  honesty, empathy, perseverance, respect for others and the need to contribute to society, environmental responsibility, and conflict resolution.  Lessons are more effectively taught through a generous use of stories, dilemmas, and role playing rather than theoretical lectures.

Students work in small teams (“han”) for activities, cleaning and projects.  Through these teams, children learn cooperation, peer support and self-governance.  They learn to adjust their behavior to help the group succeed.  The wearing of uniforms minimizes economic differences and emphasizes belonging. Strict punctuality and structural routines instill discipline and respect for time, one’s own and that of others.  In addition, after-school clubs are central to Japanese education.  Through them, students learn team loyalty, endurance, hierarchy, and collective responsibility.  Older students mentor younger ones, reinforcing a senpai-kohai (senior-junior) social structure. 

There is also an active role of the community and neighborhood environment.  Social virtues are also taught through community involvement.  Neighborhood associations teach children civic responsibility.  Whenever in public, the Japanese are expected to remain quiet in trains, observe orderliness in queues, and be polite to one another.  Stories appearing in anime/manga promote perseverance (ganbaru), loyalty, and integrity.  National emphasis on collective harmony (wa) shapes attitudes from childhood.  The key word is alignment:  Family, the foundational unit of society, teaches respect for others; the school reinforces it; and society expects it.  As a general rule, virtues are modeled everywhere:  parents and other elders; public figures; and peers.

To summarize, Japan inculcates social virtues through a holistic system.  Families—the fundamental units of societies—teach empathy respect.  Schools teach discipline, responsibility and cooperation.  Communities teach participation and civic duty.  Culture reinforces harmony and self-restraint.  The end product is that social virtues become habits, not abstract lessons. For comments, my email address is Bernardo.villegas@uap.asia.