Metro Manila, Philippines – Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David warned that indifference enables corruption, thus the need for accountability and personal transformation.
In an interview on The Newsmaker, David said corruption persists with apathy towards the wrongdoing of others.
“When we speak of accountability… the human conscience must still be active and alive,” he said.
The Catholic leader cautioned that indifference weakens moral responsibility and undermines efforts to hold leaders accountable.
“Kung wala na tayong pakialam… it means our Christianity is false,” he said.
[Translation: If we no longer care… it means our Christianity is false.]
David said a functioning society should feel the pain of its most vulnerable members. He added that failure to respond to corruption reflects a deeper societal problem.
He said accountability cannot rely solely on institutions but must be driven by active citizen participation.
“The only way we can demand accountability is by taking very seriously popular participation in democracy,” he said.
He cited grassroots efforts such as citizen-led monitoring of government projects as crucial in ensuring transparency.
“Hindi totoo ang demokrasya kung walang popular participation,” he added.
[Translation: Democracy is not real without popular participation.]
David also warned against normalizing corruption through misplaced notions of resilience.
“We accept things too quickly… we should be developing the courage to change the things that we can,” he said.
He stressed that tolerance of corruption can lead to complicity.
“When we become enablers of an unjust system, we become complicit partners,” he said.
The Cardinal called for both systemic reform and personal conversion, urging Filipinos to remain engaged and vigilant.people individuals to change attitudes and take responsibility in addressing corruption.
