The System Was Built This Way : A Young Public Servant on Politics, Power, and Change | Alex Torres | The PoliTEAka Podcast

Published on September 6, 2026

What does it look like to enter public service and realize the system is much harder to change from the inside?

In Episode 1 of PoliTEAka, we sit down with a young public servant for an open conversation about politics, power, public service, and what real change in the Philippines actually requires.

From the fixer economy and political dynasties to healthcare, disaster response, development, corruption, accountability, and personality politics, this episode goes beyond the headlines and asks why these problems continue to reproduce themselves.

We talk about what happens when good people enter institutions that may work against them, why Filipinos are often forced to depend on politicians for services that should already be accessible, and whether lasting reform is possible without changing the incentives built into the system itself.

In this episode, we ask:

• Can public servants truly serve the Filipino people when political loyalties come first?

• Why do systems sometimes reward the very behavior we say we want to eliminate?

• Should development move forward if the communities affected are not given a meaningful voice?

• Can the Philippines build institutions that survive beyond the politicians who created them?

• And who ultimately has to change first: the government or the people?

This is PoliTEAka.

Conversations about the Philippines not only from the halls of power, but from the barangays, streets, schools, businesses, hospitals, and everyday lives of Filipinos.

Because government is not just something we watch. It is something we live with.

Watch The System Was Built This Way: A Young Public Servant on Politics, Power, and Change and join the conversation.

💬 What stood out to you most from this episode? Share your thoughts in the comments.

#PoliTEAka #PoliticsPH #PublicService #GoodGovernance #Accountability #YouthLeadership