Corruption Eruption

Is it just me? Has anyone else heard of Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission? Well, it’s an agency created by former President Rodrigo Duterte through an executive order in 2017. Apparently, he vowed to rid the government of corrupt officials and employees. In his administration, all the rage was the pastillas controversy among Bureau of Immigration personnel. (Well, the anti-drug war which wemt awry was a bigger rage.) Many government officials and employees had been fired then. There was a government hotline to allow the public to report corrupt practices in state departments and offices. He simplified and expedited government procedures. He cut much of the red tape. We got our permits quick.

But all these flood control projects still managed to slip through under his nasty nose. Maybe, it was because his main thrust then was against drug lords and drug pushers and to some less extent, tagging suspected communists. His administration also pushed the Build! Build! Program to increase infrastructure programs across the nation. Could this have contributed to shady contractors getting projects? Because the government needed to build, build build?

He did ran with the slogan, “change is coming”, suggesting that he would correct the wrongs of the previous administration.

Former President Noynoy Aquino campaigned against the “wang-wang”. What did he have against car sirens? Apparently, he made it the symbol for government officials getting special favors, as their cars being let through because of the sirens, despite not being an ambulance, fire truck or police on a chase. News articles from a couple decades ago indicate that vowed to crack down on all types of corruption, with a campaign slogan of “If there’s no corruption, there’s no poverty.” I don’t remember hearing this back then. Was I too busy then? Or was that buried in oblivion? His administration passed a law protecting whistleblowers increased transparency and accountability through the Cabinet Cluster on Good Governance and Anti-Corruption and a new e-governance initiative. Well, despite these, the time of his administration apparently was the prequel for the silent boom of ghost flood control projects. What I remember was this issue on PDAF Priority Development Assistance Fund which allegedly was enjoyed by many government officials and legislators back then.

I mean no offense, but former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo doesn’t ring the bell of “anti-corruption: in my mind. But, Indonesian researcher, Eiji Oyamada, PhD, asserted that her administration brought Faster-paced and result-oriented implementation of anti-corruption projects, new laws and executive and administrative orders related to anti-corruption which have been passed; new strategies such as strengthening anti-corruption agencies, more social value formation at the national level, and the use of e-procurement in the government system”. His research indicates that these brought tangible results. What I remember was the recording of her voice calling, “hello, Garce”. On top of that, she was charged of misuse of $8.8 million in state lottery funds. Despite that, she managed to make a political comeback as a congresswoman. She even made it to House Speaker for a certain period of time.

“WALANG KAIBIGAN, WALANG KUMPARE, WALANG KAMAG-ANAK O ANAK NA MAAARING MAGSAMANTALA”. That’s how former President Erap began his presidency way back in the late 90s. Now, that sounds like a variation of ‘walang wangwang” and “change is coming”. I wonder what candidates for the presidency would come up in the next elections. What I remember is that the former President became busy with the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force. (Kidnap for ransom was big during that time.) He even joined in some of the actual operations and raids. It seemed as if he wanted to act out his action star role in his movies. Ironically, he would be sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty on charges of four counts of corruption, involving diversion of funds amounting to about 4b pesos. Of course, if you were around then, you would remember that a major landmark of his administration was his impeachment and ouster. One would argue that it was not really corruption of government funds, because it was all jueten money. Well, he would later make a comeback as Manila Mayor. I wonder why he didn’t run in San Juan.

There have been promises and attempts to rid government of corruption. The slogans were catchy. Yet, that evil ugly head of corruption manages to find its way through generations. They have not really succeeded in ending it. Maybe, they did not really exert enough effort to stop it.

Hosea 9:9: “They have gone deep in depravity As in the days of Gibeah; He will remember their iniquity, He will punish their sins.”