Filipinos at social levels are strongly demanding that corrupt officials from the Government especially from the Senate, the House, DPWH, BIR, DOH) are actually sent to jail, together with private contractors and other business people involved in the flood control scandal before Christmas of 2025.  They are disappointed that only “small fries” are actually being imprisoned.  Our efforts to minimize corruption in both the public and private sectors (“It takes two to tango”) will not prosper unless we strengthen our weak institutions that directly address the problem of corruption.  At this time, the highest priority should be assigned to the passage of four pending bills addressing the challenge of eliminating or at least reducing corruption. They are the Anti-Dynasty Bill, the Independent People’s Commission (IPC) Act, the Party-List System Reform Act and the Citizens Access and Disclosure of Expenditures and National Accountability Act. President BBM has given his full support to the passage of these legislative measures.

              The appropriate strong institutions are necessary for any socio-economic reform, as very well documented with strong empirical evidence in the book “Why Nations Fail,” by Nobel Prize in economic winners James Robinson and Daron Acemuglo.  For example, the Philippine inflation rate is at a record low of below 3 % today because of the expert management of the best Central Bank in the ASEAN.  Institution building has also been evident in the former NEDA ( now the Department of Planning, Economy and Development), the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Agriculture, Foresty and Fisheries, the Department of Finance (with the exception of the still corrupt Bureau of Internal Revenue), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.  Much still has to be done to rid of corruption and inefficiency in the Department of Public Works and Highways, which is at the center of the ongoing corruption scandal, the Department of Education, and the Department of Health.

Strong institutions, however, can only do so much if they have no support from the majority of the population.  Unfortunately, most Filipinos lack the virtue of civic-mindedness, the concern for the common good of the entire society.  The loyalty and the love for others stops with most of us at the level of the extended family system.  We are still mostly a feudal society inherited from our pre-colonial era.  Each of us still belongs to a “family dynasty” which is to what the extended family system boils down.  It is telling that the ongoing attempts to pass a bill that will ban political dynasties are being stalled by the difficulty of determining the degree of consanguinity at which an individual should be banned from running for an elective position at the same time and same political constituency as a relative.

To understand better the type of concern for the common good or the love we call “patriotism”, let us review the classic definition of the different types of love (or seeking the good of another) defined in the classic book of British writer C.S. Lewis entitled “The Four Loves.”  Borrowing from the Greek philosophers of ancient times, C. S. Lewis suggested that there are four loves:  Storge in Greek (Affection in English); Philia (Friend); Eros  (Romantic) Agape (Charity or Divine Love). The most common and natural form love (which is always the attraction of the human will to an object perceived as good) is affection.  It is the most natural and common love.  There is no effort of the will involve here; it is instinctive such as the love of parents for their children.  It is warm, familiar and humble. It often grows quietly from daily life and shared experiences.  As a rule, Filipinos are known to be affectionate people even to strangers.  That is why, our call center agents in the BPO-IT industry are highly appreciated because of the affectionate manner that they deal with their customers.  The same can be said of Filipinos or Filipinas who work here or abroad in the hospitality industry or in the nursing and caregiving profession.

Then there is the love of Friendship (Philia in Greek or Amistitia in Latin).  This is the love that exists between two individual, regardless of gender, who share common interests, values, or pursuits. It is based on mutual respect and companionship and considered by C. S. Lewis as a most rewarding form of love.  Some of the most outstanding forms of friendship in the Philippines is the bond that ties individuals who shared the same educational experiences in grade school or high school and are in touch with one another for the rest of their lives—even if they reside in different countries.  Especially among middle class women, it is common for them to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of their graduation from high school or college. Fortunately, this form of human is still deeply entrenched in Filipino society, in contrast with some other societies in the West where the bond of friendship among individuals has weakened to the extent that, especially among the youth, lonesomeness or loneliness has become a sort of a social disease.  This trend has been abetted by the advent of Artificial Intelligence in which applications like ChatGPT have taken the place of real human friends. The breakdown of the family in some developed societies has also led to the declining role of friendship in human fulfillment since it is in the family the bond of friendship is first developed.

As any human relationship, friendship has both its positive and negative features.  Among the strengths of friendship are its being built on shared truth, values, and purpose.  It is in this most elementary form of human relation where the individual is nurtured in virtue, honesty and intellectual growth.  Friendship is freely given, not compelled by nature.  That is why, in some relationships, friends are treasured more than blood relatives.  There are, however, some perils of the love called friendship.  It can become exclusivist or elitist, fostering group pride or moral blind spots.  Friends in exclusive fraternities, especially among the economic elite, may foster group pride or moral blind spots. They may reinforce each other’s errors.  There should be efforts to prevent bonds of friendship to be used for conspirational loyalty, especially among soldiers.  C.S.Lewis notes that friendship groups can become dangerous when they see themselves as morally superior.  To be continued.