Catharsis

The persistent flooding in the country today, particularly in urban centers like the National Capital Region, is mainly attributed to massive corruption, mismanagement, poor urban planning, and public apathy. Coupled with climate change, we can expect things to get worse if we do not grab the bull by the horns.

As it is said, the current flood control crisis is but the tip of the iceberg where corruption is systemic in practically all parts of the government and institutions. To break the cycle of inefficiency, deep-rooted corruption, and public indignation and distrust of the government, a collective reckoning that would allow the country to confront the truth behind the scandals, cleanse the system, and reboot for transparency and accountability is imperative. Hence, a National Catharsis.

Catharsis goes way back to an Aristotelian principle that refers to “a collective, emotionally driven process of purging negative emotions, such as anger and regret, through the public’s acknowledgment of past wrongs, confessions, and positive acts like confronting the symbols of decay and injustice.” The process serves to relieve tension, establish truth and accountability, and foster social healing or renewal that will lead to a virtuous and just society.

Indeed, Catharsis, in a political sense, goes beyond emotional release. Rather, it is about purging a system that has taken hold through years of denial, secrecy, deceit, and “normalized” corruption. The flood control scandal and other such anomalies are symptomatic of a deeper malaise — the erosion of public service in favor of personal gain. Without an honest to goodness confrontation of these issues, reforms — as often propounded by politicians — remain superficial and the cycle continues, while lives and livelihoods are lost.

The need for Catharsis becomes more evident as the nation faces more typhoons than predicted, more skeletons in closets revealed, and more dirt unearthed. These revelations may be construed as natural occurrences but they result, as they have already started to, in more damage likely as a direct consequence of failed systems. Unfortunately, as in the past, public outrage quickly fades and lies buried until the next scandal.

A National Catharsis would involve sustained investigative journalism (not that which protects media owners and oligarchs), open government disclosures (unlike those wrenches thrown at FOIs), public hearings (unlike the too regimented blue ribbon hearings), and real consequences for those found at fault (and not merely the fingerlings).

Catharsis allows for the redefining of national values to affirm competence, honesty, and public welfare. It plays a vital role in restoring public trust, and essential to this are truth-telling, accountability, and justice that punishes the wrongdoers and signals a bright turning point in the relationship between the citizens and the state.

Catharsis is looked at as a better alternative to a chaotic, bloody revolt or civil disobedience; but for it to be successful, it must have baselines such as a public acknowledgement of wrongdoing, confession or tell-all truth, purification and renewal, and a path to justice by holding all those complicit in corruption accountable.

The flood control scandal is not an isolated anomaly, rather, it is emblematic of a larger failure.

All of us must go through a process of Catharsis — a cleansing not just of the system, but more so of the collective mindset that has allowed the failures to persist. Only then can we build an infrastructure — and a nation — that will truly withstand any storm ahead.