Sacred Heart Academy, INC.

Jalandoni St., Zarraga, Iloilo

Chapter 2

Review of Related Literature

What is Corruption?

Generally speaking as “the abuse of entrusted power for private gain”.

Corruption can be classified as grand, petty and political, depending on the

amounts of money lost and the sector where it occurs. Grand corruption consists

of acts committed at a high level of government that distort policies or the

central functioning of the state, enabling leaders to benefit at the expense of

the public good. Petty corruption refers to everyday abuse of entrusted power by

low- and mid-level public officials in their interactions with ordinary citizens,

who often are trying to access basic goods or services in places like hospitals,

schools, police departments and other agencies. Political corruption is a

manipulation of policies, institutions and rules of procedure in the allocation

of resources and financing by political decision makers, who abuse their position

to sustain their power, status and wealth.

According to Duyne (2014), corruption is an improbity or decay in the

decision-making process in which a decision-maker consents to deviate or demands

deviation from the criterion which should rule his or her decision-making, in

exchange for a reward or for the promise or expectation of a reward, while these

motives influencing his or her decision-making cannot be part of the

justification of the decision.

We know that corruption will not disappear from society. Our efforts are meant

to restrict corruption and to protect as much as possible the poor and weak in
 Sacred Heart Academy, INC.
Jalandoni St., Zarraga, Iloilo

our societies. In the end all corruption costs are paid by the consumer and the

tax-payer.

Background History of Corruption

The Philippines is considered a third world country and may continue to be

third world due to massive corruption in all levels of society. The Philippines

is perceived as one of the most corrupt countries in the world, getting a score

of 34 on a scale of 1 to 100 with 100 being very clean, according to the latest

Corruption Perceptions Index of Transparency International. Our economic

development seem to depend on our success in removing or controlling corruption

as corruption has diverted away whatever meager resources that could have been

extremely helpful to alleviate the lives of poor Filipinos. The Presidential

Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC), a government body tasked to investigate and hear

administrative cases and complaints against erring presidential appointees, has

revealed that in the Philippines, an average of 20 percent of the country’s

annual budget goes to corruption.