by Atty. Joseph Phillip Andres
The Philippines has never been short on political drama but it appears that we have just achieved an all-time high.
It started innocently enough –a weeklong deluge of rain causing massive flooding especially in the metropolis a week before the President gives his State of the Nation Address. It was as if heaven itself, could no longer tolerate the impunity which has been happening at the expense of the people. A culture where officials brazenly dip their hands into the government coffers through a systematic plot which shows an utter lack of understanding of what is right and wrong. It is as if they were of the belief that “if they can do it, I can do it also”. What unfolded next is like a plot straight out of another Netflix documentary series.
In a country where people know (and have sadly accepted) that corruption is part of our way of life, the President’s bold statement started an avalanche with the end goal of ensuring the people that the concept and imperative of accountability is restored.
When the President publicly called out officials who are involved in the flood control fiasco, initial reaction was the conduct of the usual investigation in aid of legislation by our lawmakers. But there was a twist in the plot. The difference this time is that the investigators’ names themselves cropped up as part of the industry which has systematically syphoned off public funds at the expense of needed public works projects that our country urgently needs given the Philippines’ location as part of the “typhoon belt”. The investigating law makers (at least some of them), were identified by DPWH officials and contractors as indispensable parties to the felony.
The effects on our political landscape were quick and unequivocal. Congress immediately had a new Senate President (the returning Tito Sotto) and a new Speaker (Bojie Dy). An Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) was created through Executive Order No. 94 to (among others) investigate and evaluate evidence involving anomalies or misuse of public funds for infrastructure projects and eventually recommending the filing of appropriate cases against the perpetrators.
The ICI has come up with an initial set of names – (former) Senator Bong Revilla, incumbent Senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada, Party List Representative Zaldy plus DPWH officials. More names are expected soon as the story and narratives of how funds were stolen continue to be exposed at an alarming rate.
The culture of impunity is being exposed to everyone and we should collectively ensure that people will be answerable for the wrong they have done to society. We should ensure that we have public officials that are God-fearing and have a sense of decency because it appears that a substantial number have joined the culture of stealing because they think they could get away with it.
In the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), the Philippines ranked 114th out of 180 countries, with a score of 33 out of 100. This represents a slight decline from its 2023 score of 34. The ranking is based on the perceived level of corruption, with zero being the most corrupt and 100 being the least corrupt. This should be unacceptable.
We should pray and ask for the gift of discernment so that we may know what to believe in and refuse to fall into the traps of opportunists who would like to use the situation for their own agenda.
If we are to recognize the silver lining in this extremely dark cloud, we should make sure that we continue to be relentless in going after the wrongdoers and see this thing to the end and let justice be done though the heavens may fall. Justice must be realized regardless of consequences. We owe it to our children, we owe it to our country.
THE BARRISTER 