Of heroes and thieves

It would be difficult to imagine, however detailed and vivid history books and visual adaptations tell us, the actual, everyday struggles our national heroes experienced in their lifetimes – mostly a time of war and betrayal.

But we know what they did because their valiant efforts against tyranny are the reasons we Filipinos are enjoying many of the freedoms we have today.

However, with the way our society is spiraling into the depths of despair, our heroes must be rolling in their graves.

Deeply entrenched corruption

There is so much corruption and incompetence and, sadly, greed and selfishness among those who wield so much power – those who hold the key to the kind of laws we have and will have, those who determine how much of the state coffers will be stolen or put to good use or those who decide who gets to live well or not in this nation of 117 million.

A reality check shows we have become a netherworld of corrupt men and women driven by selfish interests, with no care at all for Filipinos.

Even the best political thriller on Netflix would pale in comparison.

The stories told and retold only in whispers – over coffee, beer or Macallan 18 – speak not just of a single mastermind but of a system so broken it may take generations to fix it.

Over the past weeks, I have been in lengthy conversations with friends from different fields whose professions actually see corruption up-close.

There’s a lawyer, for instance, who moves in the circle of power, telling me how impossibly greedy some of our lawmakers have become under the Marcos administration.

Even a simple building renovation in state colleges and universities can’t escape the preying eyes of some lawmakers, says my lawyer friend.

These congressmen want a say on the budgets for these buildings that are supposedly meant for educating the future generations of this country. They want their kickbacks from the contractors. Otherwise, there will be no budget.

Or that the selection of heads of state universities and colleges is planned and plotted for years in advance so that interested lawmakers, in cahoots with property developers, can dip their hands into the land that belongs to these SUCs.

Our heroes must be shaking their heads at what has become of the country.

Of noms de guerre and aliases

Another insult to our heroes is when a senator of the Republic disrespects their legacy to defend an impeached official by comparing their aliases – their noms de guerre, to be precise – to the supposed recipients of Vice President Sara Duterte’s confidential funds.

Our heroes used noms de guerre, which in French literally means war names, in the revolution they were waging.

Neither VP Sara, the recipients of her confidential funds – if they even existed – nor Sen. Robin Padilla himself would come close to what our heroes did for this country.

Leadership by example

Some say corruption will never be completely eradicated here in the Philippines or in any other system in the world, but when the sitting president at least sends a message that he will not tolerate corruption and is serious about it, those around him will at least try to moderate their greed.

That’s what PNoy did and he made anti-corruption the defining slogan of his administration. During his time, Transparency International’s Corruption Index for the Philippines rose to 34, the highest level in 17 years, with 100 the cleanest and zero as the most corrupt. Our index increased to 36 in 2013 and to 38 in 2014, which was its peak.

PNoy himself was perceived as incorruptible, and his lifestyle after leaving Malacañang proved it.

Rody Duterte had this “I-will-destroy-the-oligarchs” mantra and also threatened the unscrupulous and the corrupt.

For a while, everyone, including the oligarchs, were afraid to do wrong, until his own cabal of Davao businessmen raked it in.

Under Marcos 2.0, however, one gets the sense that anything goes – more budgets, more pork and more horror stories of corruption, too.

Red flags in 2027 budget

The People’s Budget Coalition, for instance, has flagged P735.56 billion in President Marcos’ proposed P7.2-trillion 2027 national budget of “soft pork” or social assistance and other programs susceptible to politicking and “hard pork,” covering infrastructure projects vulnerable to budget insertions, ghost projects and other anomalies.

Meanwhile, the Department of Public Works and Highways has proposed a nearly P650-billion budget for 2027.

DPWH

Speaking of DPWH, I also spoke to several contractors who expressed dismay over the slow pace of reforms following the flood control scandal at the DPWH.

Worse, they alleged that the DPWH is back to its usual ways where corruption reigns and incompetence allows it.

It’s no wonder some social media posts mention a new bagman at the DPWH.

National Heroes Day

As I said, such horror stories make one’s knees buckle.

But just when there seems to be no more hope for the Philippines, we must remember what our heroes did that August of 1896 – waging a revolution with everything they had and eventually ending 300 years of Spanish colonial rule.

This only goes to show that every heroic deed – big or small – counts. And someday in the future, those who fight the good fight can still build a better country.

*      *      *

Email: [email protected]. Follow her on X @eyesgonzales. Column archives at EyesWideOpen on FB.