The cultural roots of impunity

THE Merriam-Webster dictionary defines impunity as "exemption or freedom from punishment, harm or loss." Google searches go a bit further by saying "exemption from punishment or freedom from the injurious consequences of an action." In the 12 years that I have been living in the Philippines, I have read in the newspapers about maybe hundreds of accusations of corruption against politicians; some of them active, some of them retired. Very few end up in prison. Even when the evidence is undeniable and they finally have to go to prison, they live in comfortable material conditions that would be unthinkable being accorded any other kind of prisoner. This is impunity.

In 2021, the Philippines ranked seventh in the Global Impunity Index. Above the Philippines, the countries leading this ranking were Somalia, Syria, Iraq, South Sudan and Afghanistan — all of them in some kind of war — and Mexico. It is not a coincidence that Mexico and the Philippines casually ranked also very high in the power distance index, fifth and fourth, respectively.