“Excuse me,” retired Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, the one who ordered that Senator Joel Villanueva be dismissed but the Senate blithely ignored it,” politely interrupted the President’s grievous narrative.
President Bongbong Marcos a.k.a PBBM , she said matter of factly, did not discover public works corruption three years ago. The discovery was probably made (known?) much earlier. The President’s dictator-father was in office for decades, it would have been unrealistic that the sad news was exposed before PBBM regained Malacanang after years of being politically ostracized or exorcised.
Remember cronyism? It’s not a new invention of a political or social mantra out of the woodwork. It was an egregious secret vice of politicians and others who milked the economy dry. For instance, there were smarter- than – others who got foreign loans with sovereign guarantee in the halcyon days of the diktat to purportedly build new oil mills when the coco industry was dominant in the world market.
To be fair to PBBM, the moral crisis he unearthed in the wake of the massive floods in the country, was the genre or ogre he never saw in his early years in politics, notwithstanding the deep cronyism in his father’s time. What he discovered was a con-man culture, defying an earlier call by a previous administration for politicians to moderate their greed.
PBBM was without a dot of hesitation that the corrupt people in government and their accomplices in fraudulent and ghost projects deserved no less than a “good trip” behind the slammers, soon not later. He promised to send them to jail before Christmas. PBBM apparently spoke , too soon.
The problem with PBBM is not his sincerity, although some doubted it, or his conviction about right and wrong, or his so-called Machiavellian decisiveness. The problem is his not being a lawyer, according to Morales. Or he overestimated the quality of our judicial system and underestimated the quality of our lawyers.
There’s no doubt that our lawyers are world class. Look what’s happening at the International Criminal Court where a former president seems to have difficulty in defending his crime against humanity case, His lawyer are all foreigners and highly paid, to boot. So far, the Filipino lawyers handling the case for the Filipino victims are showing remarkable, exceptional competence in the area of international law.
So, PBBM has one good excuse if those being held accountable for the public works mess worth billions in taxpayers money are still free or are still roaming around here and there. Sorry guys, we did need vote a lawyer for president but a former dictator’s son who, by the way, has deleted the usual Edsa Revolution commemoration in February in the list of national holidays.
Maybe next year,who knows. Or when the corrupt people in government are finally brought behind bars as PBBM wished they would spend the rest of their lives.
Don’t lose hope, considering that most Filipinos believe that 2026 will bring better news. For one thing, we have an Ombudsman who believes the best is yet to come to the anti-graft body ever since a former senator was wary of shaking the hands of a former graft buster for fear of losing some of his fingers.
This new kid on the block, another lawyer loyalist of PBBM along with another brother in the Cabinet, impresses many so much that the long farm law may finally catch up with lawbreakers in due time, preferably before 2028 expires. It’s more than a political deadline for the Marcos government considering his well-wishers. PBBM is a default choice as the highest official of the land until his terms ends because of the alternative(s).
Right now, PBBM is facing a possible impeachment by those whose greatest validation in history is to see the second Marcos leave his presidency unfinished. His enemies want to see this dream happen preferably before 2028.
Or it’s possible that the vice president will go first. It politics is about numbers, you can guess who wield the upper hand. The older Marcos once scoffed at his rivals for struggling with the stir-ups while he was already jockeying on the saddle.
Who say PBBM Is still president of the Philippines?
So for PBBM, the political calculus is clear and simple: the con-man culture must go. Which means, he must jail those involved in public works mess as pledged. He may have to extend his deadline. anew, being a non-lawyer Another three Christmases may be sufficient. Patience is still a Filipino virtue while forgetfulness may still be dicey.
To do away with a con-man culture, the root of it all, which is politics, must change. Political dynasty must end, with the President leading the way, not in just going through the motion. It must be the real deal, or we can talk about a bleaker future.
A prominent lawyer from an Ivy League university is proposing a practical political miracle to this route.. The bright idea is to allow one elected official only per family, vertical or horizontal. If, for instance, one is elected mayor, governor, congressman or president, the rule is: nothing follows. Strict and simple as an affidavit.
PBBM can start the ball rolling. It’s the greatest challenge of a lifetime. If he will do it, Filipino politicians who love their country will follow his example. Those who will think twice, the voters will know what to do. No need for a Constitutional amendment. The CHARTER IS CLEAR ABOUT IT. The choice must trump the culture.
