Looking forward to the coming year usually inspires us to make lots of wishes for some changes in our way of life consisting in the breaking off from our bad habits, customs and practices. The wishes may also consist of simply the fulfillment of our hopes and dreams that have not yet come true; or on a less personal and self-less note, they may have something to do with the conclusive and salutary endings to some tedious and damaging events happening in our country which are the legitimate hankerings of all Filipinos who have the common good of the people deep in their hearts.
During the past years since we have a change of administration which we expected to make the necessary reforms for the common good as it has promised, our wishes have apparently not changed at all because instead of seeing and feeling the realization of those promised reforms, the bad governance we have in this country since the onset of martial law, has even turned for the worse. Hence as the year comes to an end, we are still looking forward and hoping that:
1. The trial of all the plunder cases now pending in court is expedited and hastened so that all the accused can be either cleared or convicted as charged and the necessary punishment inflicted. This is perhaps the best way of showing to these government officials that stealing the peoples’ money does not pay, thus deterring others from plundering the government coffers;
2. The prosecution of other public officials who have dipped their dirty fingers into the Legislative (PDAF) or Executive (DAP) pork barrels should not be on a selective basis or limited only to the known or perceived enemies of this administration. So other members of Congress and Cabinet Secretaries who are also involved in these illegal transactions should also be prosecuted;
3. Any government official implicated in certain anomalous transactions or in some graft, corrupt or illegal practices, even if not yet proven in court, and even if they believe that their conscience is clear, will deem it more honorable and proper to relinquish his/her post by practicing once more the lost virtue of delicadeza;
4. Eventually a government official or politician will be brave and humble enough to own up and admit his involvement in some anomalous transactions or illegal acts in the face of overwhelming direct or circumstantial evidence that are of public knowledge anyway. And instead of making bare denials, he should just make a sincere public apology, offer restitution and atone for his transgressions, short of committing hara kiri;
5. The fatty pork in every government budget is completely lopped off so as to rationalize and legitimize once and for all government spending. Stated otherwise, our Senators and Congressmen should not hesitate anymore to out-rightly remove or deduct from the appropriations bill any form of pork barrel instead of still trying to disguise such appropriations in the budget;
6. And with respect to our politicians who ran and won in previous elections ;
a) That they stop spending directly or indirectly beyond the limits allowed by law in their campaign for election or reelection especially considering that under the present practices, their overspending is already quite obvious particularly in the quantity and quality of their propaganda materials and other election paraphernalia;
b) Once elected, they should not immediately resume campaigning through press releases and photo-ops of the field inspection trips and ribbon cutting affairs, or through billboards and other “e-pal” posters at every strategic corners announcing their accomplishments;
c) These elected officials should also stop posing for pictures while distributing relief goods during calamities or impersonating Santa Claus giving Christmas gifts to the poor during Christmas time;
d) These elected officials should likewise stop putting up posters greeting their constituents “happy fiesta” or “happy birthday” or congratulating them on certain occasions which are clearly a form of premature campaigning for election or re-election;
e) Candidates running for public office should also stop attending religious prayers or rallies and even going up the stage, grabbing the limelight from the religious leaders themselves and trying very hard to project an image of a prayerful and “holy” men or women;
7. Members and officers of the Philippine National Police (PNP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) or the Armed Forces (AFP), should cease media interviews or conducting press briefings regarding their plans of actions and strategies in catching culprits, rebels and other enemies of the State thereby prematurely revealing to their prey their tactics in carrying out their missions;
8. Media on the other hand should also refrain from catering to the publicity seekers and credit grabbers in the government, or from making celebrities and heroes out of scoundrels and bad guys. They should also stop sensationalizing the bad news or pressuring government officials into revealing sensitive and classified information;
9. And finally, all of us should refrain from over eating, getting drunk at Christmas parties and overspending during these holidays but instead attend activities and programs that are more spiritually nourishing. It would also be more meaningful if Christmas gifts are shared with the poor and less fortunate instead of giving them to their bosses and to others obviously to gain some favors only.
The foregoing are some of the wishes which are admittedly like dreams that are hard to come true and mere products of wishful thinking. But it is also good to list them down if only to have something to look forward to in the coming year.
Notice: On Wednesday and Friday, December 31, 2014 and January 2, 2015, there will be no “A Law Each Day” so let me wish my dear readers now a HAPPY and PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!
E-mail: attyjosesison@gmail.com