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1. How different is the Philippines of 2014 from the Philippines of 1991(when movie
was filmed)? Has corruption/impunity continued, worsened or diminished?
CARL: Not much difference, today rampant cases of corruption are still prevalent
especially in our authorities. Just recently we have a case where 7 police officer
or more are the suspects of kidnapping/serious illegal detention and extortion of
ransom of two businessmen who went to Manila. Also we have alleged graft
charges against our Vice President and the Mayor of Makati (Binay) for the
construction of an overpriced city hall building amounting to 4 billion pesos.
(Obviously, they entered into a contract highly disadvantageous to the
government amounting to charges in the Anti-graft law). In fact corruption seems
to be, more or less, the same.
KARLA: Unfortunately, it remains the same. The symptoms of a lost nation eat
through the people like cancer. Time and again symbols of unity, of democracy, of
independence and of freedom as in the words are put on a pedestal, printed on
shirts and forgotten after a benefit concert. I read once that, we should have a
bomb for each of us so that it can blow up in our faces so we can sit dazed and
confused wondering what we have done we are so called intellect! Sure, that
may be some sort of figure of speech but really, why havent we been thinking
rationally? Isnt that enough to behoove us to remember that we have failed many
2. Has the tuwid na daan approach of PNoy made a difference in reducing corruption or
are we still corrupt as before?
CARL: We have to acknowledge efforts from the current administration for trying
ALVIN: The root cause of corruption is our Filipino governance culture, or what
we say, "how we do things here". It's not a matter of how one politician does it,
but how the people around him think in doing things around. If most still accept
that corruption is normal and is better for them because of the clout they can
abuse all the time, then I don't think we can solve the problem right away. As we
can see, it is always a matter of perception and approval. We must not accept
what has been usual and thus we need, in our own selves, to resist the
temptation of corruption. Let's not wait for them to change, let's change.