The awful truths must come out

The President in panic mode? Watch and try to get lost in transit. He is good at this but the Filipinos already know him too well to take him seriously this time around.

The major allegations thrown at him have raised concerns in the Senate. Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation that allegedly bagged P8.7 billion in contracts to supply PPEs to the government and his dirt-throwing duel with Senator Gordon, citing the senator’s relationship with the Philippine Red Cross (PRC). When the Commission on Audit (COA) called out several government offices, especially the DOH, for deficiencies in spending of funds, Duterte ordered the offices to ignore COA, saying, “Do not follow COA. Son of a b**ch. Nothing will happen there.”

The President should answer all these allegations brought against him. He shouldn’t play with his words or his thoughts and confuse the people because the truth will always prevail.

As the President is in a state of frenzy with all the issues and allegations brought out against him, what are his Cabinet members doing? Where are the senators and congressmen who were always beside him? Are they starting to abandon ship? Where are his allies aside from Bong Go and Secretary Duque? Are they cleansing themselves in preparation for the coming election? Such is Philippine politics. Such is the sorry state of our nation.

While we continue to fight to get this country straightened out, there are people out there who allow such corruption to take place. Why aren’t we gaining any ground? At one point, my late father Max Soliven, after being jailed during martial law for more than two months with no charges being brought against him, came out disillusioned when he went home. He said: “Coming from prison, you have a new outlook in life. You wonder if it was all worth fighting for – for the Filipino people who won’t fight for themselves. Then you ask – where are all those people who said they’d fight?”

When you have a President whose loyalty doesn’t seem to be for the country but for another country, we have a big problem. When you have a people who allows a bully to continue pouncing until we lose spirit, we have a problem. When you have a country that allows foolishness to happen without quivering, then I guess we have lost it.

Do we still trust what we see and believe what we hear? A New York Times editor some years ago jokingly summed up the tragedy we are going through when he said: “In the Philippines, if it quacks like a duck, waddles like a duck, and looks like a duck – then, it must be a horse.”

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Government officials must stand up for what is right. The officers who work for the Commission On Audit (or COA) are heroes in their own right. They have the ability to think, question and stand up for truth. These are the kind of Filipino public servants who will make a difference in the country.

We have the likes of Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia who dramatically exhausts herself on social media defying IATF rules one day and then the next day calls for a compromise, and then recently fighting it out again. What a roller coaster ride it has been for her. She should calm down and think, think, think. It’s always difficult to please others. Do what you think is best for your people.

My heart breaks when I heard Department of Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo take heed on the President’s call to allow casinos to open in Boracay. I thought she was fighting to protect the island because its carrying capacity is not big enough, thus the deterioration of the island. I’m confused. Do you want to protect the island or destroy it again? We all know that in order for a casino business to thrive, operators will need unlimited guests.

With the country nearly losing its battle against COVID-19, 25 governors signed a statement calling for Duterte to run for vice president so he could oversee and support his successor in the implementation of COVID-19 pandemic response programs. This list of governors include: Daniel Fernando (Bulacan), Aurelio Umali (Nueva Ecija), Edgar Gadiano (Occidental Mindoro), Pepito Alvarez (Palawan), Edwin Ong (Northern Samar), Ben Evardone (Eastern Samar), Arthur Defensor Jr. (Iloilo), Antonio Kho (Masbate), Abdusakur Tan (Sulu), Zaldy Villa (Siquijor), Bonz Dolor (Oriental Mindoro), Edgar Tallado (Camarines Norte), Imelda Dimaporo (Lanao del Norte), Ryan Singson (Ilocos Sur), Dakila Cua (Quirino), Florencio Miraflores (Aklan), Art Yap (Bohol), Bai Mariam Mangudadatu (Maguindanao), Suharto Mangudadatu (Sultan Kudarat), Damian Mercado (Southern Leyte), Michael Tan (Western Samar), Rogelio Eapina Jr. (Biliran), Esteban Evan Contreras (Capiz), Victor Yu (Zamboanga del Sur) and Dominic Petilla (Leyte). Well, I guess they believe that the President is doing a great job. Susmariosep!

By the way, I heard that in one of the major cities in the metro, the supposed staff of a certain congresswoman have been going around villages asking people to sign forms for ayuda packages allegedly coming from the DSWD. But wait, there is a catch to it. You need to show an ID that will classify you as an indigent. Upon signing, the people are left to wait for the so-called ayuda.

Several days passed and no ayuda arrived. When they called the DSWD’s main office to check, the officer said they have no such program. What is this all about? I think it’s time that the DSWD main office checks the local offices to ensure that corruption is curtailed. In the first place, are people living in posh neighborhoods classified as indigents? Sanamagan!

These are the awful truths we face today. What must we do as Filipinos? Should we just be passive spectators or must we take a stand to protect the destiny of this nation.