A Modern Malolos Republic

Pia A. Kasaysayan 1 Philippine History Reflection makeup A Modern Malolos res publica A Reflection on M. Guerreros The Underside of the Malolos Republic Its generally acknowledged among Filipinos and well-nigh people around the globe that the Philippines is among whiz of the most corrupt countries in the world. In 2012, the Philippines ranked 105 with a 3. 4 Corruption Percentage Index in Transp arency Internationals digest of data from 176 countries.The CPI score ranks countries from 0-10, with 0 indicating that a country is perceived to be juicyly corrupt, and 10 means that a country is perceived to be rattling clean ( enhancer International, 2012). Corruption proves to be that long problem that Filipinos and Filipino disposalal leaders always face. Of the some means of political putrescence in the Philippines today, believed to be among the most rampant are graft, bribery, embezzlement, electoral fraud, backdoor deals, cronyism, and nepotism (Conde, 2007).Just by wi nning a look at the politicians currently retentiveness office can the last typecast be evident. One family sometimes holds a seat in office for generations, ranging from barangay schoolmaster to the presidency. The political arena in the Philippines is mostly comprised of and governed by ruling political dynasties, rather of political parties (Eder Vallarta, 2007). Corruption truly system rampant in the Philippine society. What astounds me is the concomitant that it has been so rampant for so very long.According to Milagros Guerreros The Underside of the Malolos Republic, political corruption has been with the Filipinos since the very establishment of a commonwealth in our country. Emilio Aguinaldos term as presidency seemed at-par with that of redbrick-day Filipino presidents analogous Joseph Erap Estrada or Gloria Macapagal GMA Arroyo in terms of its cleanliness and transparency. Where Aguinaldos term exhibited cronyism, or appointing longstanding friends into position s of endorsement regardless of their qualifications, so did Eraps and GMAs.Eraps infamous Midnight Cabinet consisted of shady characters with which he would spend the night drinking hard drink with. These men were often violenceful players in society, both from the public and private sectors. This assemblage of men, from politicians to byplaymen, often won party favor and some other perks from the Estrada administration. Another example of cronyism is GMAs aver midnight appointment of former Chief evaluator Renato Corona just before she was to flavour down from office. This mirrors Aguinaldos own discourse of his former generals and comrades at arms in the revolution.These men were soon elevated into positions of high rank, taking advantage of the sudden absence seizure of the Spaniards to prey on unsuspecting familiar Filipinos. It was excessively from cronyism that came graft and embezzlement, manifestations of a politicians greed for more power and personal belongings . Graft is the unscrupulous part of a politicians self-confidence for personal gain. Embezzlement, in the context of political corruption in the Philippines, is basically taking money for personal use in violation of a trust, such as the tax law.Among Aguinaldos cronies and supporters, there were rather a few who used their reach and political power to exhort Filipinos into bountiful up land and money. As governor of Cagayan, Daniel Tirona swindled the town of hundreds of thousands of pesos. This is no different from modern day governors who seek forth the favor of the current president in office, in order to gain more power. Embezzlement, when committed by high government officials, ferments an correct graver crime against the state. Pres.Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and some officials of her government were often suspected of embezzlement. There were a number of notable political scandals during her promote as president, two of which were the notorious fertilizer Fund Scam and the NBN-ZTE Deal. Even until today are Erap and his indulgent lifestyle become the stuff of urban legend and stigmatization. trance Aguinaldo himself is mostly spared from such a chagrin legacy, as he is often lauded as the hero-president of the Philippine Revolution, his colleagues and supporters simply cannot be awarded the equivalent protection.Jose Ignacio Paua, Aguinaldos brother-in-law and general, was not well get in Albay and other Bicol areas where he milked his constituents out of home and land. Mentioned above, the infamous Daniel Tirona was hardly also the symbol for political and financial cleanliness. magic spell it is our politicians ongoing promise to eradicate corruption, its obvious that with its roots so duncical into our register, it will be no leisurely task. In order to truly gull a clean, just government its up to the people to vote for whom they cogitate deserves it and for those politicians to serve the people fairly and selflessly.As simplist ic as it is, this conduct is often disregarded due to mostly selfish reasons. man corruption in the time of Aguinaldo and that of previous(prenominal) presidents leave indelible stains in the history of the Philippines, our only solace is in the entrust that future generations will not gift to experience the same things. Works Cited Conde, C. H. (2007, border 13). Philippines most corrupt, survey says The New York Times. Retrieved parade 3, 2013, from The New York Times http//www. nytimes. com/2007/03/13/business/worldbusiness/13iht-peso. 891792. html? _r=1 Eder, E. , Vallarta, A. (2007, April 20). GMA intelligence interrogation Political families reign in most all of RP News GMA Online. Retrieved March 3, 2013, from GMA News Online http//www. gmanetwork. com/news/story/39187/news/specialreports/gma-news-research-political-families-reign-in-almost-all-of-rp hydrofoil International. (2012). Research CPI Overview. Retrieved March 3, 2013, from Transparency Internation al http//www. transparency. org/research/cpi/overview