Resibo or receipt in English is a proof of payment when a customer purchases an item. Before the pandemic, however, it took on a new meaning. “Resibo” became a photo or video that could later be used against misbehaving people.

In America, the word receipt is also currently being used in the same context. I’m just not sure if it was copied by the Americans from Filipinos — or the other way around.

But this much I’m very sure: Pinoy social media users are now very busy searching for ‘’receipts” that may be used against government officials involved in the flood control program scandal. They are, so far, succeeding. Good job, guys!

Some of these congressmen, senators and Department of Public Works and Highways officials have stolen so much that they are starting to make Tomoyuki Yamashita, World War II’s Tiger of Malaya, look like an amateur.

But is corruption already inherent in man? In the Philippines, there was already corruption during the Spanish regime. Maybe even prior to colonial times, except we do not have documentation of that. In other words, no “resibo.”

But all sorts of “receipts” are flying all over now because of the flood control scandal that has dragged politicians and contractors into the mess. Filipinos are angry – and rightly so - over the amount of money stolen from public funds. 

Some netizens on Facebook cannot help but hark back to the good old days of Philippine politics — when statesmanship was observed by senators and congressmen. But I have news for you: there was already corruption back in the day.

My mother was already working in Congress even when she was still a law student (she and my dad were classmates). No, she was not a congresswoman. Her job was to study the bills being filed by congressmen and senators and determine if these were constitutional or unconstitutional. She had to pore over these bills because not all legislators were lawyers.

 Even before I was of school age, I already knew what her job was because my parents would retreat to bed after dinner to talk about events of the day. Since I was the youngest, I always joined them to get some cuddling.

With me sandwiched between them, I heard — and still remember to this day — everything they talked about. My parents had no idea that I already understood their every conversation. No one in the family was aware that I already had a malicious mind at age 4.

So, what did they talk about? I still recall how the staff of one government agency dealing with finance had to produce at the last minute P10,000 because their boss was going to date a newly-crowned Miss Philippines.

Ten thousand pesos was actually the cash prize given to Miss Philippines winners that time (early 1970s). For this beauty queen, it was like winning Miss Philippines again. (She is still around as part of Manila’s elite.)

I also knew — based on my parents’ conversations — the actresses who were the mistresses of congressmen. Those were not hearsay because my mom held office at the old Congress, which is now the National Museum. Nothing could escape her because she was always there — sometimes even past midnight, especially when there were hearings. As a matter of fact, she was the one who locked up after the old Congress was abolished during martial law.

Please do not judge my parents “because they are not books (copyright belongs to Melanie Marquez).” There were no books on parenting then and they were unaware that their youngest was listening attentively to their conversations.