Someday corruption will belong in our past

It’s not every day that we get to have guests who can talk about the past or the future of Cebu City, but apparently our special guests are Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella and former mayor Michael Rama. Just by the numerous terms given to them by the people of Cebu City gives us an idea of what to talk about, the past of Cebu City during their terms of office.

For the coming midterm elections on May 2019, these two have decided to run for mayor and vice mayor, respectively. Yes, former mayor Mike Rama decided to run for vice mayor in this coming political race. But since we are not yet in the campaign period we will talk about their past performance and plans how to improve Cebu City under their governance. One thing I can tell you about Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella is his humility, a rare quality in our present crop of politicians today.

So watch this interesting discussion by our top leaders in Cebu City, which I’m sure that many Cebuanos would love to hear tonight on SkyCable’s channel 53 at 8 p.m. with replays on Wednesday and Saturday same time and channel. We also have replays on MyTV’s channel 30 at 9 p.m. Monday and at 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Wednesday and Friday.

* * *

Once more, President Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte warned about corrupt government officials who should suffer public humiliation so vicious it could strip them of their dignity.

“Humiliation and maybe a loss of face is more than just the money. It is the worst way of losing whatever is left of you in this planet,” the president said this at the launch of Guangzhou Automobile Corp. Motor Philippines in Pasig City.

He called corrupt officials “idiots” with no place in his administration.

The president said he is inviting the business community to help the government hurdle obstacles to progress, especially graft and corruption as well as illegal drugs and criminality in general, so that the Filipino people may fully realize their potential as nation builders. The president added: “And I assure you that if it is indeed something which amounts to corruption or graft, I’ll give you the privilege of slapping that person a dozen times in front of me. That way, you place him in humiliation and you maybe shed off his dignity.”

Indeed, this is the very first time I’ve heard a president attack corrupt bureaucrats using such dirty words or foul language. But he is talking only about officials in the Executive branch when corruption is just as bad or even worse in the Legislative branch of the government. I cannot forget what my good friend Tony Lopez wrote in a column entitled “Congress is the Philippine’s biggest criminal syndicate!” in the Manila Times on August 20, 2013.

“The biggest criminal syndicate in the Philippines is not any of those crime groups listed regularly by the Philippine National Police. It is Congress.

“As a syndicate, Congress is really massive -24 senators and 289 congressmen. This group of con men and women help themselves with money called the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to the tune of P25 billion, if not more, a year. The simple word for PDAF is pork barrel. In ancient times, the term referred to a barrel of goodies larded with pork so it becomes greasy and difficult for those trying to grab it. Slaves competed to get the barrel. I suppose applying lard around the barrel was the equivalent of leveling the playing field.

“In today’s parlance, pork barrel has become billions of pesos. It is grease money so that our congressmen and senators —our slaves or public servants— do their work. Instead, these senators and congressmen have become our masters —veritable Mafia bosses who keep driving us citizens to greater penury, misery, and economic enslavement. The senators and congressmen come from no more than 70 families—our dynasties and political elite.”

I have always kept a copy of this article by Tony and I never heard of any congressman file a libel charge against him on any occasion. We hope that someday corruption will belong to our past.

* * *

For email responses to this article, write to [email protected]. His columns can be accessed through www.philstar.com.