Serialized Corruption

Everyday, we read about various reports on how the people's coffers have been robbed "legally" by nefarious individuals. Actually, this is a mafia in government, with tentacles all over the place. If I were to graphically express the events, we would have a fat lady as an octopus with several tentacles reaching out to the house of congress, the dbm in malacanang, the malampaya funds, etcetera. then underneath her are piranhas sipping black ink, bloated with having drunk too much. 



Did we not ask for this, a truthful tale about how corruption functions? Now we have it on a daily basis on radio, on tv news, in print. We are glued to everything just so we would know how we have been duped by mga kagalang-galang na mga hudas sa ating kapaligiran.

May we come out whole from this democratic exercise, not feeling bitter but rather triumphant that finally, the wheels of justice are grinding no matter how slowly.

Come to think of it, how come the hoodlums always manage to beat the authorities? They escape very fast before the arrest orders are served. Now we must know the weak links in the DOJ as they are able to inform the suspects to escape right away from facing the truth.

LET GIVING HURT

When a government public institution is named after  a living person, regardless of whether he/she has questionable backgrounds should not be allowed at all. Only the public has the authority to label an institution and not a group of officials in an institution. At most, the officials may conduct a survey of opinions and possibly hold a plebiscite on what name should be given an institution. Otherwise, any individual with funds could donate and expect his or her name to be put up, or even his or her picture appear in perpetuity at the office, which could be a form of punishment to those who would not appreciate seeing that picture at all. I think that charity or gift-giving should be as unobtrusive as possible; the least the giver is known the better. That is a real Christian act of giving, not expecting anything in return.Neither should anyone expect positive karma to come about after giving.

floods and real governance

4how do we know if we have had a real change in governance? how do we know if we are into a new setting already where we can be sure that our vision of a humane society is here?

after the people power phenomenon in 1986, we expected a lot from the Cory government and wanted almost an overnight visible transformation of our society. that was why we had a series of rebellions by the military idealists whose field, with the use of bullets and dynamites could easily grab power, except if the people thwart their plans. well that was just what happened to the rebels. the people's desire for peaceful transformation towered over the dangerous method that the rebels had used. 

however, until now, as before, we seem to be still on that level of a media that is hyperactive and the government going oh so slow in terms of really giving the people's lives a real facelift. we still see vagrants, families living in carts, children without playgrounds, the elderly still working when they should already relaxing and taking their last years on this earth more lackadaisically. worse, the youth do not seem to care so much about the elderly and the changes in society. they are more after the fulfillment of their personal liberties, their personal relationships and how they look sexually to others. i pity the elderly who would be contending with these youth turned adults.  

real governance should be visible whereever we are. for example, if we are in a city, we expect that the sidewalks would be walkable, that men would give way to women especially the elderly and the children. Unfortunately, gallantry has become passe in our society. "bahala ka sa buhay mo," seems to be the philosophy.  am i lucky that when i get to the overground trains, i still find gallant men and girls giving up their seats to me, seeing me with my brownish with some white hair in-between.

real governance also means that the central parts of the city, for example, the key areas that are famous as gathering points of the people, will be spic and span, with a 24-hour sweeping and of the street and constant educational reminding of the vendors and the consumers to mind their garbage. we also expect the priest at quiapo church to be cognizant of the churchgoers' need for air, and a soundsystem that is pleasing to the ears, apart from having sermons that uplift the soul not just a literal takeoff from the Bible. 

real governance is having safe playgrounds in every barangay complete with toys that can be borrowed by the children. it is not enough to have grounds but that a vault should have a bunch of toys that the children can play with, so that they would not be lured into nefarious games. 

real governance is removing all those electric cables that go haywire all over metromanila and embedding them underground. those cables are so unsightly and disgusting considering that meralco is the top earner in the country. where do the profits go? nothing left to care how their equipment and supplies destroy the beauty of our landscape? excuse me but the department of energy should require that 30% at least of the profits should go into the development of underground electric system so that we no longer have to view ourselves as pathetic victims of unbridled profitmaking. 

real governance is having boxes all over town, at highly visible places where the people can drop their comments, and such being read immediately after a day by the authorities. the Filipino people are so wont to just chatting but i am sure by honing their skills in writing they would be more analytical of their lives, instead of being passive viewers of what is happening around, or being viewers of noontime shows that i really cannot fathom what it could teach them at all except how to be adept at making money. (by the way, i pity those people who receive gifts from a noontime show and then microphones are shoved into their faces as if the holder of the mike is really waiting for them to express their gratitude in front of the camera. i think that charitable acts should be respectful and not like that. if people want to give gifts, let them do so, without making the act appear "hallelujiah they have given me money." the tv screen could make them appear as pathetic, too needy,  their dignity lowered to the depths. and then the recipients could only cry because they could be feeling revolted by the idea of thanking the givers right in front of the camera. "mukha naman akong kaawa-awa e sila lang naman ang nagpunta rito," maybe she or he would be thinking inside. 

by the way, shouldn't the mtrcb be regulating these charitable segments of tv programs and see if they give the people the dignity they deserve? what other ways of being charitable could these tv programs do without necessarily trying to use the people for their own propaganda? 

real governance for me is no longer having to experience flooding. but yesterday, i was told that  floods visited our home, and that was the same time i was writing yesterday's blog. so is there any change at all? not much i should say.





 

MURDERED MEDIA PRACTITIONERS, NINOY, PNOY, AND THE FOI

So many media practitioners have sacrificed their lives in the name of truth and justice but what have we done for them in return? 

The Maguindanao massacre until now has not been decided upon despite the very glaring evidences, the number of witnesses, and the overt surrender of the accused to the charges, despite not really admitting it vocally or in writing. Come to think of it, why are the women in charge walking so slowly in this case: the judge and the DOJ secretary. Why can't we make a decision already instead of allowing the accused to further tempt the victims relatives to surrender their right to justice? I cannot fathom what is inside the minds of these people. I am really sorry to say. I thought that justice is so easy to dispense with once you have all the evidences. The media people who died there must be turning on their graves. 

How about the death of journalist Marilyn Esperat, the one who spilled the beans on the overpricing of farm inputs and the siphoning of public funds intended for farmers into private hands? She was murdered on in Tacurong, Mindanao, on 24 March 2005.  "She accused the department of Agriculture of being one of the country's most corrupt government agencies. In the last 10 years, she had filed dozens of lawsuits ranging from the smuggling of agricultural products, " according to news reports. Accused are alleged masterminds Osmena Montaner and Estrella Sabay. Legal counself for Esperat family is Prima Jesusa Quinsayas. Folks everything is in limbo. 


How about the Marcos millions? How many practitioners were killed,  murdered, arrested, jailed and maimed during the Marcos regime? Many even went into self-exile. Countless. Yet his kins have been elected and are now sitting calmly in the legislative branch. 

Anyway, news of corruption is hogging the headlines. It is a good omen that finally, justice is being served properly. Actually, we could ask, what does it take to trap a corrupt official? 

Isn't it enough a breeze that names have already cropped up as to who are having green hands in the Philippine bureaucracy. (As an aside I really admire our media for being brave to name names, fearless of any libel suits that could come their way. But that's the way it should be, isn't it? To be courageous and let the people's banner for good governance fly freely. )

No naming names is not enough. I would like to see them return the money of the people and the judgment be carried out on them. 

Why are media practitioners easily relegated to the bottom where justice is supposed to be served to them? I think it is because some could readily be bought by envelopes. That is why those who stick by the moral rules appear odd to those corrupt people who think money can buy everything. Perhaps, the media could start cleansing the ranks as well and slowly ease out those who are "writing praises" all the time. 

By the way, Ninoy was a journalist before he became a politician.  He was the youngest war correspondent to cover the Korean War for the newspaper The Manila Times of Joaquin "Chino" Roces. Because of his journalistic feats, he received the Philippine Legion of Honor award from President Elpidio Quirino at age 18. 

Based on the background of his father, PNoy could create a more solid achievement than his father by passing the Freedom of Information bill under his administration. He and his family owe a lot to media in terms of having been given broad coverage of their father's assassination, his mom's presidential campaigns, which catapulted her to the presidency later on. Without the help of media, I doubt it if they would be in their places now. 

iT WOULD BE THE HEIGHT OF GRATITUDE TO SEE THAT PNOY IS READY TO GIVE THE MEDIA WHAT WE DESERVE -- THE FREEDOM TO GET INFORMATION FROM ALL SOURCES IN SOCIETY IN THE SERVICE OF TRUTH AND JUSTICE. 

Now for what purposes do we need the FOI? Not only to ferret out the names of corrupt officials, but also to see how the web of corruption is created, how it grows and grows and the changes in the lifestyles of those officials who are very brazen in appropriating the people's money. 

Another thing, we would like to know why some agencies have a double face when it comes to releasing what the people own. For example, I have P1500 with Banco Filipino. The Philippine Deposit Insurance Company said that all those with savings of P10,000 and below may get their deposits without question, just an ID. Yet, in my case, I was made to present many IDs, and to make sure that the face in the ID is large enough to be recognized. I wrote to Mr. Valentin Araneta, the head of PDIC  who then threw my letter to the legal department. So I just quoted to myself a statement from Rizal's novel: "Isipin mo na lang na kinain ng mga buwaya."

What else can we use the FOI for? To ask the Intellectual Property Office why they lost my proposal for my invention, the footrest way back in the 80's. Now they want me to present a new proposal. Meanwhile, China has been manufacturing a similar invention and my earnings have not come at all. 

Also, I lost two cellphones last March 14, 2013. I went to the office of PNP Allan Purisima and complained. My letter was tossed here and there -- Galas police station, Camp Karingal. I told them that when I complained to the outpost police officer, Ryan Aguila,  at the corner of E Rodriguez and Araneta Avenue, He told me, "Ma'am if we are able to get back the sim card would that be enough for you?"



Well Folks, let's pray and pray, (as Cory used to do) that the results of this movement to cleanse the government would end happily, with the con artists behind bars.