Unprecedented massive corruption

Unprecedented massive corruption | Daily Tribune

Never in our country’s history have we seen anything like this. The nation is in chaos because of the unprecedented massive corruption in the bureaucracy, mostly under this administration.

In particular is the theft of billions in public funds involving top-level officials in the executive and legislative branches of government. There is Zaldy Co from the House who used to head the committee on appropriations. Ironically, billions of our money was siphoned off for flood control projects that were never put in place. Except on paper, accomplished and fully paid.

At the House, the names of Senator Joel Villanueva, the “Bad One” Estrada and ousted Senate President Chiz Escudero, who admitted receiving a P30-million campaign contribution from a contractor, reverberated, tagged in ghost projects that were uncovered, more or less, by President Bongbong Marcos Jr. himself.

As I said before, these acts are scandalously shameful for all these officials whom we trusted and who swore to serve the people with all honesty, perseverance and devoid of any reservation. It is disheartening, frustrating at that, when the solons are better called “representathieves” entrusted as “keepers of the funds” because they themselves are the looters.

How disgusting that these people, these impostors to purity and incorruptibility, were recently pressing the second-highest official of the land to explain where some confidential funds were spent when they themselves couldn’t show where a single peso from their respective appropriations went. As designed, to keep Vice President Sara Duterte from becoming president, these crooks decided to impeach her.

We did not know the extent of the corruption until President Marcos Jr. discovered the anomalies occurring at the Department of Public Works and Highways in connection with flood control projects in most parts of the country. Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, then and now, relentless in exposing the anomalies at DPWH, helped a lot in the discovery of the looting.

At this point, it appears that only the judiciary, led by Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo, is “clean” and true to their mandate of public office being a public trust.

Hopefully, this situation at the judiciary will continue to be, say, dirt-free and worthy of our trust and confidence as is expected of all public officials.

Although when it comes to the prosecutors, we’ve been hearing a lot of nasty narratives. Some in the service aren’t fair and just, and that’s what I experienced in a complaint lodged against me.

That scumbag prosecutor of Quezon province didn’t observe due process and proceeded with the filing of the complaint before the RTC. Ultimately, being baseless, the court dismissed the case, as expected.

The discovery of the massively corrupt flood control projects undertaken by this government only validated The Bridge’s contention, made public in mainstream and social media, that the Batasan houses people whom the Filipinos cannot trust to hold the purse of the Republic.

There can be no argument anymore except to finger a small portion of the crocodiles who are of unquestionable honesty and integrity. I believe there are a few.

Sadly, the partylist system, provided under the Constitution to give the marginalized sectors an opportunity to be heard and to participate in lawmaking, is a huge disappointment. It only exacerbates corruption. District and local political overlords dominate the various sectoral seats. The partylist system has been turned from a good thing to a bad one. As a matter of fact, it only fueled the growth of political dynasties.

Well, there’s the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, recently formed by PBBM. Whatever the outcome, there is much hope that something better and beneficial to our people is coming up.