Sneak peek to corruption: The words are “AKO ANG BAHALA SA IYO”
By Vanette Colmenares, D.Min.
“Ako ang bahala sa iyo” Translation: “Leave it to me. I’ll take care of you.” —these are the words I hear most often in my dealings across the Philippines. It’s not a literal promise but a cultural shorthand. A way to expedite a request, grease a wheel, or seal a favor. It’s not a meaning—it’s a mechanism. A bonus. An extra gratuity.
I remember my aunt once asking, “Why should we give tips to people who are simply doing their jobs?” Her answer was clever: TIPS stands for “To Insure Preferred Service.” The bigger the tip, the faster the constituent runs to you. Fast buck, fast track.
Philippine Congress: Where national budget legislation is made and legislators, contractors, and executives allegedly feast on commissions, also known as SOP or Standard Operating Procedure. (Photo grab from Google).
Extreme climate conditions and corruption: The perfect recipe for floods in the Philippines. (Photo by CNN)
In the US, tipping is optional—unless you feel generous. A service charge is often built into the bill, supposedly distributed among servers and back-of-house staff. But greed creeps in. Unscrupulous owners pocket the charge, leaving workers shortchanged. That’s the small injustice.
But when you go big-time, like what’s happening in the Philippines—it’s a puking moment. How do you stomach stolen wealth while your countrymen live in poverty? How can you swim in your fancy pools when your countrymen swim in floods along with all their belongings?
It’s endemic. A cancer slowly creeping into our system. Don’t just blame the bigwigs—the rot trickles down. I remember the phrase: “Your company is only as good as the people working within it.” Only the people with you, under you or around you, can make you or your company great. Employees who watch their bosses amass wealth through corruption often become corrupted themselves. Point one finger at someone, and three point back at you. That makes you an accomplice. And the words of the boss, “Do as I say, AKONG BAHALA SA IYO.”
How sad. How true. How urgent.
“Change” is the most overused word in politics. But it’s not change that we need—it’s education with discernment because even that becomes suspect. Misinformation, malinformation, and disinformation may sound alike, but their intentions are distinct. And in the chaos, truth becomes the casualty.
Oh well— Ikaw ang bahala sa akin, Sir/Mam? Saan naman tayo pupunta? (You’re in charge of me Sir/Mam? Where exactly are we headed?)
(Dr. Vanette Colmenares is an entrepreneur and essayist in Cebu City and the vice president of the women’s nonprofit organization Women’s Immigration & Communications Cafe)
