god and corruption

8/11/2019 God and Corruption

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Filipino Religiosity and Corruption: Understanding Why Corruption Exists Despite Filipino

Religiosity

Jay Michael L. Cordero

When we speak about our nation there are two notable attributes that we have. First, we are

one of only two Predominantly Catholic nations in Asia, and second we are one of the most

corrupt countries in Asia. In December of 2013 the Transparency International Corruption

ranked 177 countries from very clean to highly corrupt the Philippines was ranked at 94.

We always boast and claim that we are a Christian nation yet we also recognized and accept the

fact that we are also one of the most corrupt countries. The two attributes seems to be

contradictory with each other. There is clamor for religion to be used against corruption

simply because of the belief that religious people are more concerned with ethics compare to

people who are not religious. This belief is held by many people despite the fact that most

countries which top the rank in terms of religiosity also tops the rank in terms of corruption.1

How can we reconcile the fact of being a Christian nation and one of the most corrupt nations?

Filipino religiosity is one of the most essential concepts of Filipino identity, however, this

essential concept cannot be seen for it is not manifested and lived out by the Filipinos. Religion

is expected to influence and make a deep impact on our culture and morality. Our country

always face the never ending corruption, political killings and injustices which run oppose that

what is expected of us Filipinos who are religious. When we raise our voices in becoming proud

of being a Christian nation that voice is drowned by our actions which speak louder for it shows

and reveals the true and real identity of our nation and its people. How can we afford to hurt

our fellow Filipinos when one of the essential concept of being a Filipino is being religious? In

this talk I would like to focus on religiosity as one of the essential concepts of Filipino and what

is the Filipino concept of God. In trying to analyze the religiosity of Filipinos and how we relate

to God we might find out why despite being religious we can afford to hurt our fellow Filipinos.

The Philippines boast of being one of only two Christian nations in Asia. Filipinos take pride in

having extraordinary faith as expressed by many of our religious practices. Religion is so

1Whither Morality? Finding God in the Fight against Corruption, Heather Marquette, International Development

Department School of Government and Society University of Birmingham, 1. Hereafter,Whither Morality?


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integrated in the life of the average Filipino, according to Jocano, it is difficult to distinguish

what is social and what is religious in their daily activities.2 Filipinos belief in God is indeed

something that every Filipino can boast of. We are known to be extremely religious people and

we also take pride in expressing them in many occasions.

How do we view God and how do this view affect our relationship with our fellow Filipinos?

In answering the following questions above it is important to also take note of the historical

development of our religious beliefs in the primitive era. Our ancestors believe in what we call

Poon or Bathala. This belief in deities can be one way of how we are going to discover the

Filipino concept of God. Ever since before the dawn of Christianity in the Philippines our

ancestors had already a certain belief in the supernatural. Various cultures and tribes in our

country depict belief in the supernatural and this can be seen in their myths, stories and

culture.

Florentino Hornedo in his book, The Favor of the Gods explains that the supreme God for

the early Filipinos is generally perceived as transcendent, hence remote and had little or

nothing to do with the affairs of the people, so much so that in order to appeal for favors

such as bountiful harvests or rains, the natives call upon intermediaries in the form of the

lesser spirits locally known as anitus.

3

Since man's world view in a particular culture is projected upon the invisible world, a pluralistic

and complementary view of the divine may exist also in the concept of the Absolute.25

The use

of intermediary can be seen even as to how Filipinos relate with each other. If most Filipinos

approach their leaders through intermediaries, they also approach God through the spirits

and the departed.4

The attribute of God as remote was affirmed by Leonardo Mercado in his book, Elements of

Filipino Philosophy. He noted that one attribute Filipinos describe God is its remoteness or

2F. Landa Jocano, Sulod Society(Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press, 1968), 241.

3Florentino H. Hornedo, The Favor of the Gods: Essays in Filipino Religious Thought and Behavior(Manila: UST

Publishing House, 2001), 80. Hereafter, The Favor of the Gods.4Leonardo N. Mercado, Elements of Filipino Philosophy(EPE) (Tacloban City: Divine Word University Publications,

1979), 165. Hereafter EFP.


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inaccessibility. The Filipino stress on hierarchy puts God in so high a place that he is beyond

approach. In this case, the use if intermediaries is necessary. This exaltation of God gives the

impression that he is unknown and remote. Since God is remote and unknown man is not in

direct contact with him. This attitude gives the impression that God is impersonal.5

We can see that the way we relate to God is the same way as we would also relate with our

neighbors. When we view God as transcendent and remote this would also affect how we

would view others around us. When we view God as remote and transcendent then even

when we do wrong to our neighbors we cannot see God whom we hurt when we hurt our

neighbors. It is difficult to see God in our neighbors when in the first place we think of him as

inaccessible.In the Christian perspective what we do to our neighbors we do it unto Christ. It is

easy to hurt, commit injustice and degrade our fellow Filipinos simply because we dont see

Christ in them. Maybe our political leaders who are mostly Christians dont see Christ in the

face of the poor child who was deprived of education and comfortable living.How can they

see the face of the poor when they dont immersed themselves with them? As Cardinal Chito

Tagle commented on the height of the pork Barrel scandal, Siguro maglakad-lakad kayo sa

gabi, kapag nasa bangketa ka na, makikita mo yung yung mga pamilya na nagbubukas ng

kariton, para doon matulog. Mahawakan lang ninyo ang kamay ng mga mahihirap. Siguro

naman maaantig ang inyong puso, sana.

God must not be seen as remote but as someone who can be seen in the face of the poor, in

the face of the hungry, in the face of the naked, and in the face of the oppressed. The

remoteness of God is sometimes attributed too to our leaders who are also remote and

inaccessible to the people.Tagle is right to say that the corrupt can stomach what they are

doing because the poor are absent in their minds and their hearts. These leaders also view

themselves as mga panginoon who instead of becoming like Christ who came not to be

served but to serve, our leaders became like pigs who are being served. Our leaders are always

satisfied but let us remember what the Philosopher John Stuart Mill once said: It is better to be

Socrates unsatisfied than a pig satisfied. Many political leaders view themselves as gods who

5The Favor of the Gods,171.


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are powerful and influential and in consequence they abuse their power and exert their

influence whimsically.

The impersonal relationship or the lack of personal relationship with God is also seen as one

of the reasons that affects our relationship with our fellow Filipinos. Catholicism stresses

hierarchy and similar to the religion and belief of the pre-Hispanic Filipinos we implore

intermediaries in our relationship to God. This lack of direct and personal relationship with

God is often seen as resulting to the lack of accountability in ones moral decision. When you

have all those hierarchies, go-betweens and intermediaries (who will not be critical of you)

then your sense of personal accountability to God goes down.6

The Filipino belief in the spiritual world was deeply embedded in the consciousness of many of

our ancestors. As one psychologist writes, During Spanish times, he (the Filipino) accepted

Roman Catholicism whose saints fused beautifully with his belief in the spiritual world7In the

history of our country, it is taught that indeed our ancestors have a deep belief in the reality of

the other world or the spiritual world. For this reason Filipino popular religiosity, though

religious in nature is culture bound since it is a form of expression that is essentially influenced

by indigenous patterns such as values, traditions, and institutions.8

When Christianity became the predominant religion, the external elements of Christianity

replaced the local religious practices but left the underlying folk religious beliefs unscathed,

thus, revealing the christened indigenous traditional creed and cult: the Christian God for

Bathala, the town patronal saints for the anitos, the town barrio fiestas for the pagan rice

festivals and the parish priest for the baylan.9

Our Christian rituals and practices may have been influenced by our indigenous beliefs, rituals

and practices so much so that we simply perform them as traditions and we forgot their

6Andrew Lim, Theories On Why Corruption Is Pervasive in our Catholic Dominated Society, Posted by Joe America

on August 26, 201, available at: joeam.com/2013/ does-catholicism-makes-us-more-tolerant-of-corruption/

accessed last 8 Jan. 2014.7"Another Look at Philippine Values," Punctuations, Jaime C. Bulatao, Vol. 1, 2, April-May, 1987.

8Allan Basas "The Religious Culture of the Filipino Catholics: An Appraisal of Popular Religiosity in the Philippines"

Luz y Saber [Online], Volume 4 Number 2/1 (28 January 2013), 13. Hereafter, Basas, The Religious Culture.9Basas, The Religious Culture, 17.


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spiritual aspect. Our Christian practices and devotions at present may only be considered by

many as simply part of the tradition. Many Filipinos goes to procession during Holy Week or

witness a passion but simply do it as part of tradition and culture and has forgotten to reflect

on its religious significance. Religious people may engage with religion simply on a ritualistic

level and may or may not be aware of what their sacred texts say about ethics and

corruption.10

The Filipino Theistic Beliefs

What is the relevance of believing in God for the Filipinos? What role does God play for the

Filipinos.

According to Florentino Timbreza, the Filipino Christian orientation has always the concept ofGod with churchgoing, confession, holy communion, vespers, fasting and abstinence. Despite

all these religious practices and devotions of the Filipinos to God and to the saints, many

observe that (puputi lang and uwak) everything will still continue as they are.What changes

to the society did Filipino religiosity brought? Despite the devotions and faithfulness of the

Filipinos problems in the society continue to escalate. Adherence to many religious routines

and practices doesnt seem to solve and respond to the mounting problems of the society. Our

country may indeed be composed of 85% Catholics but are these 85% percent true and faithful

Catholics? Most Catholics are simply called nominal Catholics. In a news in yahoo.com.ph last

Jan. 6 retired Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz stated the fact that we have to accept

that most Catholics are simply nominal Catholics. He defined nominal Catholics as Catholics

only by name but not in words and actions. Many Filipinos received the sacrament but only few

were truly baptized. If all Catholics would go to mass on Sunday it would be impossible to

contain them all in catholic churches. If most Filipinos are simply nominal Christians who only

go to church for KBL (kasal, binyag at libing)then it is not surprising that many Filipinos commit

actions which are unchristian.

However, even if our churches is filled with churchgoers according to Archbishop Socrates

Villegas it is shameful proof of our failure to evangelize our country that our churches are

10Whither Morality?, 16.


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filled with people, our religious festivities are fervent, our Catholic schools are many, but our

country is mired in poverty and in corruption."

Filipinos are often criticized for being so faithful and religious yet this cannot be seen in their

actions and the way they would relate with other people. We take pride in being the only

Christian country in Asia. However, the religiosity of the Filipinos doesnt seem to correspond

with the behaviors and actions that Filipinos have. If we are truly religious, then why is there a

lot of corruption and scandals in the society? Does our belief in God brought change not just to

ourselves but also to the society?

I remember a story of a very religious woman who owns a store. Every evening she would invite

her daughter to pray the rosary and the novenas with her. Every 6:00 in the evening she would

shout at her daughter, (Neng, dali a na mangamuyo na kita sang rosaryo isara na ang tindahan

pero I check anay kung nasamuan mo na sang tubig ang langgaw, sang bato ang sako sang

uling kag kalamay sa asin kay aga ta pa na ipamaligya sa bwas ) Neng, faster we are going to

pray the rosary you close the store but see to it first that you added water on the vinegar,

pebbles on the sack of charcoal and sugar on the salt for we are going to sell them tomorrow

early in the morning.

This story reveals the fact that indeed most Filipinos are religious, religious in the sense that we

are prayerful and we practice religious practices and rituals. But being a religious doesnt mean

that we are also moral. Religiosity for the Filipinos obviously is not equivalent to morality. Our

religious life seems to be farfetched from our moral life. From this we can clearly understand

that if one is religious one is not automatically a moral person. Thus, religiosity as one of the

essential concept of Filipino identity cannot lead us into unity if morality is separated from it.

However, Heather Marquette claim that the belief that religious people are moral and are less

likely to commit corruption is a myth that is based on the assumptions not borne out through

evidence.11

Religiosity is useless if it doesnt transform our actions and values. It is important

that our values be influenced by what our religion is teaching us. Transparency Internationals

11Whither Morality?, 1.


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Florentino Timbreza take note that the Christian concept of God is tied up or connected with

the concept of afterlife (kabilang buhay), immortality, sacraments, heaven, perfect happiness,

penance, indulgence and The Way of the Cross. Our concept of God is tied with religious

practices and religious icons. Some people would still claim that mamatay lang ang tao wala

paring mangyayari. Theological notions doesnt seem to be relevant to the Filipino lives and

practices.

The common tao may perhaps understand the concept of God and some other theological

notions, but what they experience is pain, suffering and hunger. Because of this experiences,

some Filipinos claim, sayo na ang kabilang buhay, basta may makain lang ako. What most

Filipinos care is how they can live and eat not what the afterlife promise them. Nevertheless,

many insist: behold, Gods kingdom is not in this world. Withthis belief many poor Filipinos

simply gets along well with a plumbing and hungry stomach (Timbreza, 2008). Beets affirmed

this when he said in poorer countries, the few are perpetrators, while the many are victims,

and these victims may seek solace through their religion (Beets, 2007, p. 81).

Filipinos approach God whenever they have problems. They see God as someone who can solve

and help them in facing their problems in life. It is often criticized that many Filipinos simply go

to God when they have problems or when they have something to ask. The situation of

suffering, poverty and hunger made many people closer to God and ask for his help. God is

seen by many as provider of their needs. This is why many Filipinos can identify themselves

with the Black Nazarene who is bent by lifes troubles, and they get tremendous assurance

and hope knowing how the Poong Nazareno shares in their own suffering. The Poong

Nazareno is seen as an image that truly speaks to their experience, an image of god that they

consider truly their own.12

Filipinos also view God as love. For many, God is love (ang diyos ay pag-ibig). With all the

sufferings that an ordinary man undergoes, he still deeply believe that God is good and full of

love. The concept of god as loving is deeply embedded in every Filipino. The situation of

poverty and pain may have led people to accept and view God as loving who will comfort them.

12Popular Religiosity in the Philippines.


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Filipinos are hopeful people who believe that there is an end to suffering and that there is a

divine being who despite their sufferings will not abandon them.God as loving doesnt only

care for the rich and the cronies, he too takes care of the poor people who constantly pray to

him and beg his generosity. The belief that God is love has a drugged effect or serves as an

opium for people who wish to ease their burden and their sufferings. They find it consoling to

view God as love.Filipinos believe that God favors the poor. This is stressed by many believers

in God that God loves the poor more than the rich. It is taught that God has a preferential love

for the poor. Believing that God loves the poor more than the rich, gives the poor people hope

and consolation amidst his suffering. It is consoling to believe that rich people can hardly go to

heaven why the poor people are loved by God. By believing that God will reward the poor in

heaven, the poor man forgets his plight and misery.

Filipinos also view God as merciful. We stressed so much on the attribute of God as merciful

and forgiving. However, we take advantage of the mercy of God and would simply say anyway

ang Diyos ay may awa. We even tolerate our own evil and unjust actions because we believe

that God will forgive us. Politicians would think the same way, corruption is not a grave sin

compare to murder, maybe God will forgive me. After many corruptions and scandals in the

government the outcry of many is not justice but reconciliation and forgiveness. Oftentimes we

simply tolerate and consider the corrupt acts and practices of many government officials.

During the impeachment trial of then Chief Justice Renato Corona, Sen. Miriam Defensor-

Santiago lambasted her fellow senators whom she said claimed to be innocent and clean and

have done nothing wrong. She dared them to come clean and further revealed that many of

them were also involved in corruption thus they must not convict the chief justice as guilty of

corruption since they too are corrupt. This fallacious argument of tu quo queseems to tolerate

and consider the graft and corrupt practices. If this is the kind of morality that we have how can

we expect the government officials themselves to prosecute their fellow politicians? We abuse

the mercy of God believing that he is merciful our actions will be pardoned. Our belief in the

mercy of God stand strong in contrast to his being just. If we view God as just we would be

compel to believe that even if he is merciful he will not tolerate nor simply pardon the sins we

have committed.


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Another problem that we have is that religious leaders and organization who would insist on

their members not to be corrupt were the ones who are also corrupt. For example, in Andhra

Pradesh, a priest at the worlds largest Hindu temple at Tirupati was arrested for selling temple

jewels, just one of many corruption scandals to have emerged at the time (msc.com 22/08/09).

In Nigeria, a pastor was suspended from a church near Abuja for embezzling millions of church

funds (Friday, 2006). Take our own example of the pajero bishops that harbored ill comments

both from believers and non-believers. These examples weaken the call for fight against

corruption which these religions and their religious leaders ask their followers to do.

The rich and the corrupt government officials find God as merciful while the poor who is

oppressed by the rich find consolation in God who is viewed as just (Ang Diyos ay

makatarungan). Since God is just injustice is viewed as opposed to Gods will. The poor man

who is a victim of injustice is glad to know that God is a just God. Ang mga nagsasabing

tunay na maka-Diyos ay sila naman ang nagpapahirap sa kanilang kapwa . If Filipinos view

God as just, why do some Filipinos do injustice against their fellow Filipinos? Some people

would just remark: Nasa tao ang gawa, nasa Diyos ang awa (Work is mans, mercy isGods).

This makes him resign to any tragic event in his life and a very fertile ground for faith, hope in

all the powerful providence of Gods mercy, and for love.13

Filipino view God as someone close

to them, as someone who can sympathize with their problems. Even Filipino religiosity

expresses this, as Chupungco describes Filipino popular religiosity as: ritual expressions which

generally touch human problems and sentiments. These are more appealing and suited to the

simple people14

More often than not, many a believer applies a heroin to the poor mans psychosomatic

plight: Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earthBlessed are the peacemakers

for they shall be called children of God. With this solution of cocaine and morphine, the poor

man is psychologically filled even if he eats only a daily meal of tinapa and poprice.

(Timbreza, 2008.)

13Life Today. 1991, The Filipino Way KC Cabrera.htm

14Anscar Chupungco, OSB, Liturgical Inculturation, Sacramentals, Religiosity, and Catechesis (Collegeville

Minnesota: A Pueblo Book, 1992), 104.


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Filipino religiosity is an essential concept that could lead us into unity if we truly lived out as

true Christian and Catholics. The church is challenged more than ever to make people live out

their faith through their actions. It is a challenge for us Filipinos to examine our religious beliefs

and faith as to whether we practice them and thus be an instrument of social reform and

transformation. Religiosity is part of our culture and if morality is embedded in our being

religious then good morals will be part of our culture. This is a challenge for all of us to be an

instrument of unity by manifesting our religiosity through our actions. In the end, we must ask

ourselves whether we are also disturb as Filipinos and christians by what is happening around

us. Lastly, I would like to post the same question that Cardinal Tagle asked during the height of

pork barrel scam. He asked Sino bang Pilipino na merong pagmamahal sa bayan ang hindi

mababagabag, at lalo na kung ikaw ay may kaunting pagsunod kay Hesus? Parang

nadudurog ang puso mo na, kaya bang gawin ito ng tao sa kapwa tao? Kaya ba talagang

sikmurain na magagawa ang ganito kalaking, kumbaga, kasiraan para sa bayan?

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! Maraming Salamat Po!

References:

Basas, Allan. The Religious Culture of the Filipino Catholics: An Appraisal of Popular Religiosity in the

Philippines. Luz y Saber[Online], Volume 4 Number 2/1. (28 January 2013).

Beets, S.D. (2007) International corruption and religion: An empirical examination. Journal of Global

Ethics, 3(1).

Bulatao, Jaime C. Another Look at Philippine Values, Punctuations, Vol. 1, 2, April-May, 1987.

Chupungco, Anscar OSB. Liturgical Inculturation, Sacramentals, Religiosity, and Catechesis. Collegeville

Minnesota: A Pueblo Book, 1992.

Hornedo, Florentino H., The Favor of the Gods: Essays in Filipino Religious Thought and Behavior.

Manila: UST Publishing House, 2001.

Jocano, F. Landa. Sulod Society. Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press, 1968.

Marquette, Heather. Whither Morality? Finding God in the Fight against Corruption, International

Development Department School of Government and Society University of Birmingham. Available at

www. Academia. edu//Whither_Morality_Finding_God_in_the_fight_against_corruption. Accessed 5

Jan. 2014.

Mitchell, M. (2001) In Gods country. Far Eastern Economic Review.

Nussbaum, D. (2006). Money versus morality: is corruption just a matter of misaligned incentives?

London: London School of Economics, STICERD and DESTIN Public Lecture, 18 October.


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Mercado, Leonardo N. Elements of Filipino Philosophy. Tacloban City: Divine Word University

Publications, 1979.

Msc.com (2009) Tirupati priest booked for mortgaging temple jewelry, available at httt://news.in.

msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3165740 (accessed 19 November 2009).

Friday(2006) Pastor suspended for embezzling N20m.Nigerian Newsday, 27 June.

Life Today. 1991, The Filipino Way KC Cabrera.htm

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