Megaron Athens: IACC Conference site

The English international edition of CenPEG’s bestseller book, Corruptionary@ has been launched in Athens, Greece on the sideline of the 13th International Anti-Corruption Conference. Introducing the book to the IACC’s audience from some 1,300 foreign delegates was Evi-ta Jimenez, Executive Director of CenPEG, who also spoke on governance and corruption in the Philippines.

Held last Oct. 30 to November 2, the IACC was organized by Transparency International (TI) with Huguette Labelle as Chairperson. TI is a global anti-corruption watchdog which has been monitoring corruption trends in the Philippines and many other countries.

Corruptionary© was first launched in April this year at the Popular Bookstore in Quezon City and has received several reviews. Adopted as Centennial Book by the University of the Philippines in Manila in commemoration of the university’s 100th year, Corruptionary has also been re-launched in Naga City and UP Manila.

Conceptualized by CenPEG and researched by political science practicum students from UP Manila, the book contains 447 corruption-related words – and growing. Its English international edition is 188 pages and is edited by playwright and CenPEG Fellow Bonifacio Ilagan who also did the same for the Filipino edition.

Below are some of the reviews of the book:

PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE CORRUPTIONARY© BOOK:

“The Corruptionary …shows a mixture of humor, disgust and anger toward corrupt persons and their acts…reflecting the Pinoy talent for puns and a hilarious dig at the corrupt official/s.” (Ramil Digal Gulle, “The Corruptionary will make you laugh till it hurts,” ABS-CBNnews.com)

“More than just a specialized dictionary, ‘Corruptionary’ serves as an academic textbook for young Filipinos.” (Christine Ong, Channelnewsasia.com, Singapore)

“The book by itself could be entertaining but has a way of making us see ourselves as victim, observer or even participant in the culture of corruption. What could follow is a kind of epiphany, hopefully leading to anti-corruption advocacy.” (Elmer A. Ordonez, “Two books on corruption,” The Other View, Manila Times)

“Thanks to my chance meeting with the ‘Corruptionary’ team, I'm finally positive I want to learn outside the classroom… I want to know things without being spoon-fed, to go somewhere, according to how I want to get there. It is going to be quite a walk.” (Sara O. Siguion-Reyna, “What I've learned: Getting there my own way,” Philippine Daily Inquirer, April 22, 2008)

“A first of its kind, Corruptionary …is a very rich source of information and analysis that should be useful for anticorruption advocacy in the Philippines. For the un-initiated, Corruptionary helps build awareness that is important in conscientization.” (Dr. Ronnie V. Amorado, “Corruption as hermeneutic and semiotic reality”)

“Many readers would shake their heads in amusement after finishing the book. There is, however, a sense of sadness that comes with the realization that the world of corruption is one that is like to be with us for a long time—unless we find the words that will define what we want ourselves to become.” (Chit Estella, “Corruptionary: The lingo of corruption,” Verafiles.org)

“Senate whistleblower Rodolfo ‘Jun’ Lozada Jr., who also contributed a few words in the dictionary, can’t help but laugh about the whole thing. ‘Honestly, I found it funny. Imagine, corruption now has a dictionary!’ he said.” (“Dictionary on RP-style corruption hits the shelves,” GMAnews.tv)

“A fascinating collection, great for quiz shows…There's enough material in the book for symposia, class discussions, even a master's thesis or doctoral dissertation…Let's laugh at ourselves, but let's also get righteously angry as we examine how endemic dishonesty is, corrupting even our language.” (Michael Tan, “Popular,” Pinoy Kasi column, Philippine Daily Inquirer, May 20, 2008)

Corruptionary’s “signal publication should in fact give the creeps to the present administration. It may not inspire an Edsa 4 or 5, or a facsimile thereof, but its finding a place in book shelves speaks volumes on how the general public views the present state of affairs in this country: no one in power is credible anymore, and it’s all the people can do from sinking into a cynicism of no return.” (Juaniyo Y. Arcellana, “Our damaged, dorobo culture,” Starweek, Philippine Star Sunday magazine, May 18, 2008)

Compiled by CenPEG
May 15, 2008