When it rains it pours daw po.
We hope it will stop here in the Philippines.
We do not really mind the downpour that characterizes the country’s wet season.
But we all pray that the downpour of revelations of scams and controversies stops at least for a while as we try to catch our breaths and find relief from the tension.
Sa totoo lang po, matinding kabog ng dibdib ang idinudulot ng mga masasamang balitang nababasa natin, di ba po? Pandagdag sa mga alalahaning pilit na pinagkakasya ng bawat isa sa atin sa ating mga utak at dibdib.
Banggaan ng mga bapor sa karagatan dyan sa Visayas, revelations ng ‘sex for flight’ and other indignities suffered by our overseas workers and at the hands of their countrymen pa, pagsingaw ng karumal dumal na pork barrel scam na sumipsip daw ng kabang bayan.
Loss of trust in government officials who are supposed to oversee the smooth running of various systems is one of the results that came out of these. Sa aksidente sa karagatan- asan ba yang mga nagbabantay para sa mabuting paglayag ng ating mga seacraft lalo na yung mga pampasaherong ginagamit ng ating mga kababayan- aba, katawa tawa any news about seacraft na nagbabanggan sa malawak na karagatan. But yes, it happened in this country and caused the death of more than 150 passengers. Sa ‘sex for flight’ that happened daw in the Middle East- kapal naman ng ating Philippine officials there, taking advantage of their poor female kababayans at idinuduldol pa sila to become prostitutes to earn plane tickets daw pabalik Pilipinas. Turns out naman libre pala from the Philippine government yang plane tickets naman. Dyosko naman, kakahiyang mga kababayan yang mga government people natin sa Saudi!
And then the pork barrel scam Philippine style. Agitated, indignant, very angry and fierce- ganyan ang naging pakiramdam ng iba’t ibang kababayan sa nadiskubreng anomalya. Ano?????Tagal ng nangyayari ito??? Kapal nyong mga congressmen and senadors and government officials and minions kayo!!!
BUT the objective and ever- hopeful Pinoy, after weeks of reading about the scam and until it now comes out of his eyes and ears says ‘teka muna’,’ cool it…easy lang’ mga kababayan. He would like to believe that amidst the indignation and yes, hatred that have surrounded the discovery of a pork barrel scam that has festered the system for a decade and more, something good will eventually happen that will complete the ‘unfinished business’ of our people’s nationhood.
We have to admit that until this time, ‘nationhood’ as a word has not characterized our feelings as a people of this country. It has mostly been ‘to each his own’ but who can blame us? Many of us grew in leaderships that have not shown true caring and concern to ordinary citizens through government actions, laws without strings attached passed in Congress and the Senate, and court judgment and decisions that defied justice and fairness. Lagi na lang daw na ang pakinabang ay napupunta kay opisyal or kay judge. We likewise heard of shenanigans in government offices and institutions including what should have been a venerated Congress of the Philippines. Lahat daw pinagkakakitaan nila.
But all these remained chismises, subjects of bulungan, parinigan and taas- kilay from our citizens- no concrete action to demand accountability from them, though. Para que???? They knew that takipan will be the order of the day as officials justify, make excuses and/ or blatantly tell lies to insure that they and their colleagues in crime will be protected and evil systems that they have created will live on for the benefit of their heirs- sons and daughters who follow in their footsteps and take over the reigns of leadership in their respective town, city, provincial congressional districts. No contest talaga since kumpare nila ang judge, family friend si ganito, etc etc. Saka kwidaw, baka makulong pa ang magrireklamo. Rumor- mongering daw???Paninirang- puri???
Tameme na lamang our people. Deep inside, they curse ‘hmp, mamatay na sana kayong lahat.’ Sagot ng isa, ‘Asa ka pa, e may tagapagmana namang mga anak yan sa mga kawalanghiyaan nya!’
Now that we have realized that our suspicions have actually happened and are true, we are declaring that enough is enough and this has got to stop- abolish the pork barrel system, punish the people fooled our citizens and who benefitted from the practice, and come out with systems that would insure that people’s money will go to activities that would alleviate their lives. We have also demanded for accountability
The ordinary Pinoy did not believe that this could happen in a Philippine setting- the wheels of justice starting to roll with the scam queen, Janet Lim- Napoles, together with 3 national elective officials and many more civil servants being respondents to charges of plunder in a case submitted to the Ombudsman on Monday this week. A truckload of evidence in print consisting mostly of paper trail of illegal transactions and money deliveries accompanied the filing of the complaints. In addition, there is that damning report of the Commission on Audit on how government money was used or misused by many government offices including Congress and its 2 chambers.
Speaking during the anniversary of the 115th anniversary of the Malolos Congress in Bulacan province, Senate President Drilon assured our people that government today is listening and heeding the people’s concerns when it paved the way to the filing of charges to alleged perpetrators of the scam. He expressed the hope that the current national leadership’s adherence to the principles of transparency and accountability has made this possible. This could not have happened in the previous administration, he added.
To be realistic, dami pa rin naman who are diskumpyado- pano naman daw, there are rumors that PNoy and his party received hefty campaign money from the ‘scam queen’ that is why espesyal the treatment they provide her- ‘kaya nga nakasurrender sa Malacanang yan, ano???naka evening party attire pa, kumikislap- kislap ang get up, inihatid pa sa kulungan’, sabi naman nitong favourite market vendor ko. She fears baka maapektuhan ang kasong isasampa and that mapawalang- sala ang mga tinukoy na nakinabang sa scam.
I hope we will all be patient and continue our close watch and voice out if we see or hear fishy ongoings with regards to this saga. I have also the fullest trust in the two women assigned to see that justice is served to all concerned- Justice Sec. Leila de Lima and the Ombudsman Conchita Carpio- Morales. I know that whoever would try to sway their thoughts and decisions will not succeed as these two lovely ladies have both exhibited independent spirit, boldness and bravery, and adherence to fairness in their official actions in the past. Nagbabantay din the COA Chairperson Grace Pulido- Tan, another woman that is not adding ‘cowered’ in her vocabulary and instead publishing and generally publicizing fearless audit reports on government spending for the citizenry to know. I also hear that the Bureau of Internal Revenue headed by another tapang lady Kim Henares ay makikisawsaw na rin by checking how personalities involved in the scam have prepared their income tax returns forms in the past. And if they paid the correct tax amount.
And most of all, there is us, the people, exercising our sense of nationhood, moving as one in insuring that the scam stops and never be a Philippine experience ever again.
Today, diskumpyado this nation in Congress, many government institutions and people employed in these offices.
But one day it will come and we will learn to trust them again when they have shown that they deserve the trust that we are about to bestow in them.
Meantime, we put the finishing touches to our nationhood- each citizen getting bolder and expressing himself, each expecting good service from officials leading us while we ourselves do our part as good citizens and both becoming partners with a common objective- the nation benefitting.
THANK YOU, TORONTO!
