Structural and Cultural Barriers to Anti-Corruption: A Thematic Inquiry into the Philippine Political Landscape
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69569/jip.2026.257Keywords:
Anti-corruption, Isomorphic mimicry, Philippine governance, Political patronage, Utang na loobAbstract
The devastating effect of systemic corruption shows the urgent need to understand why advanced legal frameworks fail to stop government wrongdoing. Studying this persistent implementation gap helps public administrators look past symbolic compliance and find real structural fixes that protect public funds. However, research on how informal political networks circumvent official legal systems is limited, as the topic is usually reduced to broad statistical measures. The main objective of this qualitative study was to examine how formal anti-corruption institutions handle the structural implementation gap in the Philippine government. Data were collected through a systematic analysis of academic literature (2012–2026) and official records, guided by the dual theoretical lens of Institutional Anomie Theory and Isomorphic Mimicry. The analysis revealed that the anti corruption system is blocked by four main issues: first, executive patronage controls oversight bodies, turning them into administrative "janitors" that protect political allies; second, a slow judiciary with massive case backlogs lets corrupt officials outlast legal battles; third, local governance is dominated by political dynasties that bypass regional checks and balances; and fourth, the cultural value of utang na loob (debt of gratitude) pressures public servants to choose personal loyalty over official duty. The findings suggest that public administrators must move past paper reforms and performative investigations that only mimic accountability for show. Furthermore, oversight institutions must protect anti-corruption leaders from political pressure, clear court backlogs, and separate government contracts from elite networks to build true institutional integrity.
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