Plea for sanity

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” — Albert Einstein

This past weekend many protests were organized with more to be held in the coming days. Comparisons have been made to the indignation and outrage in Nepal and Indonesia to what has been unfolding with the ghost flood control projects here at home. Many are wondering why the mobilization of the masses has not achieved critical mass despite the disclosure of billions of pesos lost to the greed and avarice of a few while the ordinary Filipino continues to toil tirelessly to no avail.

With all due respect, we are not Nepal or Indonesia. Yes, we should be outraged and, yes, it’s unconscionable the kind of ill-gotten wealth amassed by the greedy and corrupt (and their families) but lawless violence should be a last resort as it would bring more instability and damage to our economy.

The riots in Nepal were triggered by the sweeping ban on social media platforms by a government out to stifle dissent and access to information. In Indonesia, on the other hand, unconscionable increases to lawmakers allowances drove the protests. In our country, while the present situation is volatile and has the potential to spiral out of control, it hasn’t gotten to that point… at least, not yet.

So far, democracy is alive and continues to thrive in our country. It bodes well for those in power to never forget the hard lessons learned during Martial Law — that stifling dissent and suppressing freedom will only serve to douse gasoline on the embers of resentment and outrage at the impudence and hypocrisy of the corrupt government officials involved in the flood control controversy.

The flood control mess is simply the tipping point in the people’s growing dissatisfaction and utter disappointment in the Marcos administration. Chiz Escudero has been taken out as Senate President. Will Speaker Martin Romualdez be next? Assuming there will be a leadership change in Congress today or in the next days, we have yet to hear a solid plan for what kind of justice the Marcos administration intends to deliver to the Filipino people.

In all this chaos, let us also not lose sight of the fact that beyond the accountability due to the people from those responsible and complicit, we must demand real reforms and change.

To those wondering why this keeps happening — aside from the obvious answer of making unwise choices during elections — and history keeps repeating itself, the problem lies in the design of our present system of government which is enshrined in the Constitution. We want change? Amend the Constitution.

Why can’t we accept the fact that many provisions in the 1987 Constitution are no longer working for us. The supposed safeguards have been undermined with loopholes exploited for self-serving interests of those who have become insatiable in their quest for power and greed.

We have become prisoners of corruption and abuse because of the fallacy on the dangers and fear-mongering attached to any mention of amendments or revisions to the 1987 Constitution.

With barely three years left, President Marcos Jr. still has nothing great to show for his tenure. And now this. The flood control controversy — the biggest government corruption scandal to be uncovered post-EDSA revolution.