From “Robs to Riches”: Scandal Constructivation and the Ambivalent Work of Pagsasaayos

This research note examines Philippine corruption scandals through an interpretive lens that foregrounds scandal constructivation as a cultural process. Rather than reading scandals as signs of institutional defect, I argue that they dramatize democratic ambivalence. The Department of Public Works and Highways flood control scandal, which was exposed in 2025, illustrates how publics mobilize humor, extend blame through kinship, and contest legitimacy in local public spheres. These dynamics show that scandals reconfigure moral expectations and practices of repair, revealing how citizens persist in sustaining democratic life amid contradiction. In the Global South, scandals disrupt order yet provoke vernacular acts of accountability, offering insights into the cultural life of legitimacy.