Unbreakable pattern

At the start of the year for the past several years, controversies and scandals hound this government and there appears to be no end to them. But more deplorable is that they have now become an unbreakable and unalterable pattern. Another scandal breaks out, another Congressional probe, extensive and sensational media coverage until a new scandal erupts diverting everyone’s attention and relegating the current scandal into limbo without any conclusive ending.

This has been the pattern at least since 2004 when the “Garci Tape” electoral fraud came out, followed by the Fertilizer Fund scam, the North Rail contract anomaly, the NBN-ZTE broadband overpricing, the “Euro Generals” junket on excessive travel allowances, the Bolante escape act and lately the PDEA-DOJ feud on a dangerous drugs case involving celebrity elites from Alabang.

But the pattern can still be broken. And this depends on Media, Congress and to a certain extent, the investigating and prosecuting arm of the government particularly the Ombudsman. They simply have to do their jobs properly and well.

First of all media should not exaggerate and sensationalize their reports. News items must be based on actual happenings and accurate statements personally witnessed or recorded by reporters so as to avoid the usual denial and standard excuse of being misquoted. They should also refrain from immediately making conclusions of facts based on raw and unconfirmed information borne out of an eagerness to come out with a scoop and to corner a large segment of the market. Media’s function or role is also a public trust and media people are also accountable to the people. Hence they should also do their jobs with utmost responsibility, integrity and efficiency.

But more importantly, media should not fall for the diversionary and psy-war tactics of the personalities or offices that are subject of their reports. They should persist in pursuing their current subject until some results have been achieved one way or the other. Even if another case of public interest comes up, they should remain focused on their current subject and should not allow the latest exposé to completely distract the public’s attention to it. They should constantly keep the people’s attention to Euro generals and Bolante even as they are now covering the unfolding dramatic events in the dangerous and prohibited drugs case involving high society. Perhaps they could use as model, the Woodward-Bernstein tandem that covered the Watergate scandal up to the very end leading to the eventual resignation of Nixon as U.S. President.

Congress can also do a lot to break the pattern on scandals and anomalies in the government. To be sure, breaking this pattern may likewise erase the perception that they are conducting their probes only because of the media mileage they get out of it.

First of all, before conducting the hearings they should put their act together by having a Committee meeting among them first, where they can decide on the possible legislation they want and formulate the necessary questions that they will ask the witnesses called at the inquiry. Unfortunately, based on the TV coverage of the proceedings, it appears that our Congressmen are merely trying to show how smart they are with their supposed intelligent but irrelevant questions leading to nowhere.

Our Representatives should also realize that their job is not to solve the crimes that may have been committed and who committed them. They should not try to pin down the witnesses called and get them to admit their culpabilities. These are the functions of the police, prosecutor and the judge under our criminal justice system where they have no role at all. Their job is simply to legislate.

In the ongoing inquiry, it appears that the existing laws on dangerous drugs are good enough. Re-imposition of the death penalty is not even necessary because the problem lies more in the enforcement and application of the existing law by the government agencies concerned. If any bill should be drafted therefore it must focus on the more how to solve this problem of equal enforcement and application of the law to all persons involved, rich or poor.

Our Ombudsman also has a lot to do in breaking up this vicious pattern. Under our Constitution, it is supposed to be our “Tanodbayan” who can, and should immediately act and investigate on its own, any act or omission of any public official, employee, office or agency that appears to be illegal, unjust, improper or inefficient.

Unfortunately the performance record of the present Ombudsman shows that it falls short of doing its job efficiently and expeditiously especially on headline hugging cases involving people with Palace connections. As early as 2005, the Senate has already recommended the filing of the necessary charges against Bolante in connection with the fertilizer fund scam. But up to now, even as Bolante has already been brought back into the folds of the law after fleeing abroad, the Ombudsman has not yet charged him before the Sandiganbayan.

Whenever government anomalies are exposed or scandals erupt, the standard line of this administration is to deny them and “to let the court decide”. The problem however is that the case does not even reach the courts because the Ombudsman sits on them or takes a long time in resolving them until the furor dies down and the cases are forgotten.

So going by the performance of Media, Congress and the Ombudsman, all signs ominously point to another inconclusive ending to the on-going anomalies and wrongdoings until they are again forgotten.

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