Hopes of the motherland

Hopes of the motherland | Daily Tribune

All is not lost. They stand firmly by their principles and integrity, which cannot be purchased with a trove of cash, kickbacks in contracts, or other forms of temptation in exchange for their loyalty and silence.

Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste is a difficult act to follow. He is an inspiration to the young generation and, through his deeds as a young entrepreneur and politician, he embodies what Dr. Jose Rizal called the hope of the motherland.

The national hero believed that educated young Filipinos are indispensable to nation-building—especially for the reforms badly needed under the present corrupt dispensation.

Congressman Leviste is demonstrative in all aspects. Fresh from college, he founded Solar Philippines, a firm engaged in renewable energy, a venture that made him a multi-billionaire.

When it was time for him to pay back the people of Batangas, Leviste ran for congressman of the 1st District and won by a landslide. At age 32 with total assets of P54.8 billion, Leviste is the youngest and wealthiest politician in Congress today.

He brought his corporate discipline and integrity to the halls of Congress, something of a rarity these days. It was, therefore, a big mistake for DPWH district engineer Abelardo Calalo to bribe him with P3.1 million to stop the House probe into the anomalous flood control projects in Batangas. Leviste filed bribery and corruption charges against the engineer and advised him to become a state witness once the probe into the anomalous projects starts.

Leviste is the son of the equally famous Sen. Loren Legarda. The senator had earlier made some negative comments about the Dolomite beach in Manila Bay.

I can only guess that mother and son had arguments about the projetct’s importance and relevance.

Maybe, just maybe, to cut the discussion, Leandro brought his mom to the Dolomite beach and then posted their photo on Facebook with a quote: “Dinala ko ang aking ina kanina para sa kanyang first time sa Dolomite Beach. Ang ganda at ang linis! Buti nalang may ganitong mga pasyalan na bukas para sa lahat ng mga pamilya.”

Leandro thanked his mother for finally supporting the Dolomite beach.

The young congressman has a mind of his own and is not shackled by partisan political views.

Amid the brouhaha over the magma of corruption, ABS-CBN’s Alvin Elchico asked Leviste whether the President and the Vice President had any insertions in the budget. To which he curtly replied: “Hindi lang senador o congressman ang may insertion. Halos buong gobyerno may insertions.”

“Si Vice President po walang Insertion,” he added.

Meanwhile, Rep. Francisco “Kiko” Barzaga calls a spade a spade. He minces no words in hitting the former speaker, Martin Romualdez, over the scandalous corruption in ghost and substandard flood control projects.

The Gen Z lawmaker from Cavite bravely remarked that, should there be any person who should be investigated first, it should be Romualdez. He then proposed that a hold order be imposed on the former speaker. Barzaga also called for the resignation of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. over the flood control scandal, a move the Department of the Interior and Local Government branded as seditious and, thereafter, he was charged in court.

But Barzaga is not worried and neither is he scared. Whether he should be credited for it, the fact is Speaker Romualdez stepped down and might likely have his own day in another court.

The minions of the ex-speaker were, however, not amused. To effectively gag Barzaga and deprive him of his freedom to speak his mind, they finally suspended him for 60 days.

Rep. Leandro Leviste condemned the tyranny of numbers of the ruling majority and the salivating members of partylist groups who ganged up on Barzaga.

Those who voted to suspend Barzaga thought that they succeeded in silencing him. The truth is that they succeeded in creating hundreds of Barzaga and Leviste clones in and out of the House of Representatives.