BY: DONALD SEVILLA
“CORRUPTIO OPTIMI PESSIMA”
It makes our blood boil and our stomachs churn with anger, hearing our politicians proclaim to all and sundry that they are for transparency and accountability, when they themselves are at the forefront of the ongoing flood control projects’ controversy.
That many of our lawmakers have interests in entities doing business with government through their relatives and friends despite divesting is a given fact.
The law requires that a public official divest ownership or interest in a business having dealings with government for possible conflicts of interest.
On paper this is quite easy to do but in reality they still exercise control over these entities using dummies and other kin.
Are we to believe that these people truly gave up their interests in a lucrative business for the sake of public service?
Tell it to the marines! You and I know better. In fact most of their businesses grow their influence even more after divestment.
Net worths of these corrupt officials grew by leaps and bounds after supposedly giving up ownership to other parties.
Yet they make no qualms at publicly condemning corruption and calling for accountability.
Such actions reek of hypocrisy to the highest degree. But it seems our officials act chill about it , callous and impervious to shame.
Hypocrites brazenly call out for investigations to deflect their participation and culpability acting clean as a whistle.
Yet the stage for such drama is set. For sure “guilty” parties will be taking leaves of absence for medical reasons, even going abroad to escape scrutiny.
We are used to seeing these zarzuelas that our people have become apathetic.
Will something happen out of these inquiries or will it just be forgotten, taken over by other recent issues?
But the backlash is loud and resounding that heads must roll. The public is exasperated and tired at the endless hearings and explanations. We need concrete results.
While many aspirations are pinned on this administration’s efforts to deliver, we expect President BBM to perform and do his job.
Without it, our nation will be bereft of any legacy to pass on. Corruption must stop.
From the national to the local level, the corrupt must not go unpunished!