Austriaco urges to remember the true common good in a culture of corruption

by Jia Bote and Carl Daniel Reyes

Seeking common good at the right place and time is the key to combating corruption, according to a Dominican priest and microbiologist.

Speaking during the 55th St. Thomas More Lecture at the University of Santo Tomas, Fr. Nicanor Pier Giorgio Auatriacto said that this is the key to integrity and the opposite of corruption, which happens when people pursue common good in the wrong setting.

"When I am a public servant of a government, and I seek the common good of my family, I am corrupt,” Austriaco said. “Every individual is responsible for the appropriate common good and must consider it in all of his or her decisions.”

The speaker of this year’s lecture-forum, Austriaco is known for his contributions at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic as he became a part of the OCTA Research and developed Project Pag-asa, or the DominiVax Project, with the goal of making the vaccine readily available to Filipinos. He teaches both biological science and sacred theology subjects at UST.

Psychological inclinations

Instead of discussing the cultural values and norms of corruption in the country, Austriaco addressed the psychological inclinations that motivate individuals to engage in corrupt behavior.

He said that it is not only the system that is to blame for corruption, but also the people themselves.

He emphasized that pakikisama, a psychological inclination for social harmony and non-disruption, should be moderated.

“If one is corrupted, it would be very easy for others to join,” Austriaco said.

Austriaco also said that hiya, a psychological tendency to avoid breaching social standards and norms, is a powerful internal force that compels people to imitate what others are doing.

“There are aspects of hiya that should be encouraged, and aspects of hiya that need to be brought to light in order to be purified,” he added.

Austriaco further contended that the high regard in which Filipinos rely on utang na loob for others was inextricably linked to bribery.

These psychological inclinations – pakikisama, hiya, and utang na loob – should be directed to God and should be exercised in the right setting and the right time, according to the Dominican priest.

Politics and corruption in the Philippines

Austriaco also highlighted political dynasties fostering corruption and incompetence due to their monopoly on political power and nepotism.

“It’s interesting how when you go to a particular LGU (local government unit), the kuya is the mayor, the congresswoman is ate. And you will begin to see how the entire family is running this LGU. There are many local government units that are dominated by a family,” he said.

He also pointed out that political party systems in the country are “weak” as politicians are not elected based on merit, but rather on their personalities, which, in turn breeds turncoatism, where politicians jump ship from one camp to another to support the winning candidate.

“It’s not a party that is elected, but it is the personality and usually with a family around that. So the entire system is driven by family loyalty,” he said.

Political dynasties and turncoatism are a common phenomenon in the Philippine political ground.

In a 2022 study, almost 80% of Congress and over 50% of politicians from local government units came from political families.

Additionally, the Philippines placed 116th out of 180 in most corrupt countries worldwide in the 2022 Corruption Perception Index (CPI).

Integrity

Austriaco advised the audience to "remember God" in all deeds and described corruption as an act of forgetting God.

Moreover, he noted how standing for the truth means shunning friends and family to be imbued with integrity.

“And this is hard for Filipinos because these psychological inclinations mean they will be ostracized from the group,” Austriaco said, alluding to what happens to people who fail to conform with the norms of pakikisama, hiya, and utang na loob, even when the right thing to do is to not accommodate friendships and family relations in irrelevant settings.

This is alluded to by St. Thomas More’s preachings: “I am the King’s good servant but God's first.”

He also pointed out that corruption hits poor people the hardest.

“When you steal from Philhealth, you are not stealing from the government but the Filipino people,’ the poorest Filipinos,” he said.

He also stated that if one is to steal or one is corrupt, he ought the people to bear in mind the poor.

“Corruption always hurts the poor,” he said.

The lecture-forum is held annually to commemorate the legacy and martyrdom of the patron saint in the faculty of Arts and Letters.