Sunday was the birth anniversary of the hero Andres Bonifacio, founder of the Katipunan. This year, Nov. 30 took on a heightened meaning, coinciding with protests in many places as Filipinos express their outrage over massive and entrenched corruption. The plunder of public funds is happening not only in flood control projects but in numerous other government contracts, as well.
It would be wrong for the people to not be outraged, or to merely accept the practice as something that comes with the territory. The amounts reportedly being siphoned off the public coffers go up to billions of pesos, with those benefiting from the system ostentatious in their lifestyles. They believe that crime does pay, and that our systems are so weak that they could get away with their crime. If not now, then eventually,
We are aghast every day at how these supposedly upstanding public servants and business people can rest easy at night without their consciences bothering them.
Perhaps because their beds are softer, their rooms are more comfortable, and they do not worry about flood invading their homes or ruining their crops.
Even likelier is that they have no conscience to begin with.
We feel only disgust and loathing toward those who insist on their innocence in the face of evidence linking them to their crimes, and who loudly profess their supposed concern for their constituents but in fact rob them blind. These officials’ calls for transparency and good governance only ring hollow.
We recognize that some gains have been made in the past few months. The people have become more aware of the many ways in which corruption is committed. We have educated ourselves on how the budget process works, and on how to discern whether what we see online is disinformation or propaganda. We also welcome the initial cases that have been filed, and wish that there would be bigger names to be indicted rather than mid-level government workers or corporate managers.
We will continue to watch how the cases are tried. It is because of this that we stress the importance of relying on strong evidence instead of mere hearsay. Only proof will see these cases through. Or else, after the spectacle, those accused would bank on the lack of evidence and may end up free again. Inflicting themselves on us again.
Sunday’s protest action was diverse in terms of the participants and what they were calling for. Protesters vary in the outcome they envision. These expressions must non-negotiably be respected, because they are protected by the supreme law of the land.
But no matter the difference, we begin from the same sentiment: we are outraged at the scale of corruption, and we will no longer accept this as a given. We assert our right to have a government led by those who truly have the people’s interest in mind, and to do away – through lawful means – with those who are outed as liars, thieves, and hypocrites.
