An article from the "Get Real Philippines" (https://www.getrealphilippines.com/2013/10/filipinos-need-to-develop-a-sense-of-shame-or-guilt/) blog points a key factor that helps Western societies to keep corruption at bay, and that is a sense of accountability.
In Japan, for example, every now and then a prime minister resigns due to a sense of shame for not living up to the expectations of those who elected him.
In the West public officials are also driven, at least to some extent, to some kind of sense of moral accountability.
The article says "if one does something in defiance of what is the norm, one believes that he will receive the wrath of God or worse, the wrath of the entire community. Guilt is an emotional experience that happens when a person realises or believes that he or she has violated a moral standard and accepts responsibility for that violation. The feeling of guilt is closely related to the concept of remorse, when a person feels regret for what he has done. When guilt as an agent of control does not work, they have the criminal justice system as a last resort".
The Philippines, on the other hand, seems to be run by leaders who have no sense of accountability whatsoever.
The article goes on to say "With the number of public officials and common citizens who get away with fraudulent activities in the Philippines, I am beginning to believe that there are members of Philippine society who are turning into psychopaths. A lot of our public officials do not have a sense of guilt or do not feel remorse for not being able to fulfill their social obligations and for causing harm to the rest of society. They also blame their behavior on someone else, make all kinds of excuses and therefore do not feel accountable for their actions".
It really seems like the only "shame" or "guilt" that Filipino leaders feel is when they fail to save face or fail to live up to the expectations of their family or clan, not a genuine sense of shame or guilt for not living up to either the society's expectations or a moral standard.
A strong sense of "Pinoy pride", a tendency to blame others for everything and a sheer lack of a moral compass that is other than merely the fear of losing face or displeasing the family are huge factors that keep the Philippines in a permanent state of corruption and poverty.
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