As The Philippine STAR reported in last Thursday’s front page news, Transparency International’s 2009 Global Corruption Barometer apparently revealed what the Filipino people already know… that the government’s drive against corruption is largely ineffective. But that’s the bad news! The good news is we are second only to Korea as the worst in terms of ineffectiveness and the perception of the people.
I’m sure that when we get down and start listing the numerous cases of corruption that have reached the courts, we would see volumes upon volumes. But what about those that haven’t even gotten past first base and are still languishing in the Office of the Ombudsman? A case in point is the celebrated lamppost scam, which still hasn’t been resolved, or the computer scam in Lapu-Lapu City, which the Ombudsman still hasn’t resolved, too.
What about that infamous Girls Scout scam where public funds earmarked for the Girls Scout were allegedly found in the bank accounts of then Rep. Clavel Asas Martinez of Bogo, Cebu? This issue was in the headlines of Cebu’s newspapers way back in 2004 and it seems that the Ombudsman is just waiting for the people to forget that this ever happened. Well, it happened and even his eminence Ricardo Cardinal Vidal wrote the Office of the Ombudsman to ask about this case and the lamppost scam, too, and he got no reply, and we’re only facing a blank wall!
Do we have to remind you that former agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn “Joc-Joc” Bolante and 10 others were cleared of graft charges over the alleged misuse of P232 million in fertilizer funds in 2003? This case cost the life of Marlene Esperat, a former agriculture action officer of the resident Ombudsman who quit her job so she could sue Bolante and 10 other people for the misuse of P232 million in agriculture funds. She was later murdered in cold blood before her horrified family in a still unresolved case. Yet, Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez threw out this case because the complainants “failed to prove their allegations.” I’m sure that Marlene Esperat’s mortal remains must be turning in her grave for the great injustice done to her by the clearing of Bolante et al. without going to trial.
Corruption still exists today despite two EDSA revolts in the last 22 years and it is due to the fact that we Filipinos have never solved our problems of injustice since the time of the Marcos Dictatorship. So are we doomed to be always on top of the corruption list? The answer to that is yes, if we keep on relying on the government to fix our problems on corruption.
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For history buffs like me, today is the 65th anniversary of the Normandy Landings or D-Day which was codenamed “Operation Overlord” where 160,000 Allied troops crossed the English Channel to the three major landing zones in vaunted “Atlantic Wall” that German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel constructed along the French coast. This was to be the largest amphibious assault force ever to invade an enemy territory.
The landing sites were given names such as Juno for the Canadian forces, Sword Beach for the British forces, and Omaha, Gold, Utah and Pointe du Lac for the American troops (including the Free French and Polish troops). By the end of August 1944, more than two million troops passed through Normandy on their way to defeat the crumbling Thousand Year Reich of Adolf Hitler.
The Normandy invasion took its toll on Allied casualties numbering more than 200,000 from June 6 to August, while German Army losses were close to 300,000 men, and close to 20,000 French civilians died during the fighting. More French civilians would die during the battle to liberate France.
Today, the beaches of Normandy have become a tourist site, where most of the visitors are families and relatives of those who perished in that invasion to end Nazi tyranny. Normandy is littered with many World War II memorial cemeteries, proof that the freedom that Europeans enjoy today came at the cost of American, British and Canadian blood! I hope that the French will never forget their debt of gratitude to the soldiers who fought and died on French soil.
As a way of remembering D-Day, I suggest you watch one of the best movies of this invasion filmed in glorious black and white, the 1962 epic movie “The Longest Day” starring John Wayne and a cast of film greats of that era. For today’s filmmaking standards, you can see (please don’t get a pirated copy) a video film of that Steven Spielberg movie “Saving Private Ryan.” I like this movie because of the attention to detail given by Director Spielberg, wherein he really used authentic World War II equipment like jeeps, tanks and military ordnance.
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For e-mail responses to this article, write to vsbobita@mozcom.com or vsbobita@gmail.com. Avila’s columns can be accessed through www.philstar.com.