Acceptable alternatives

A lot of people including myself, who supported P-Noy last 2010, are quite disillusioned and disappointed at what is happening to our country now. We find it simply hard to believe that he is really honest and sincere in serving his “boss” the Filipino people because there are just too many wrongs and anomalous practices eroding his much vaunted matuwid na daan which are coming out only now. The more dismaying aspect here is that they would have remained hidden had they not been ironically unearthed in connection with his attempts to project a clean image by invariably blaming others.

Even if he will not really be a lot richer when he goes back to Times Street in 2016 than when he entered Malacanang last 2010, the wrong doings and malpractices during the first three years of his term now being exposed have somehow stained his reputed honesty and sincerity in serving the people or placed in grave doubt the truth of such reputation.

It all started when the P10-billion pork barrel scam hit the headlines after it was incidentally discovered by the NBI while investigating another case involving the serious illegal detention of Ben Hur Luy who became one of the whistle blowers against the brains behind said scam. This investigation should have been done quietly in order to build up a good case but it was already given too much publicity at the height of public attention on other irregularities particularly in the Bureau of Customs and the DOTC involving people close to P-Noy.

Then the Commission on Audit (COA) likewise started publicly probing the fraudulent transactions on a selective basis targeting the past administration and the current opposition leaders even as several intriguing incidents were also coming out pointing to the possible involvement of some administration people including P-Noy himself because of their alleged closeness to the supposed pork barrel queen. In fact pictures of Napoles with these people including P-Noy himself started being published in all forms of media. This was followed by another explosive revelation about the secret meeting between P-Noy and Napoles in Malacanang prior to her arrest that evening of August 25, 2013. While these damaging disclosures have been vehemently denied, people remained unconvinced that they did not really happen because they have not been satisfactorily and convincingly proven as absolutely without basis in fact.

Then another bombshell exploded as plunder charges were filed by the Department of Justice against past administration officials and some opposition Senators and Congressmen before the Ombudsman in connection with the use of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) on bogus non-government organizations (NGOs) of Napoles. The charges prompted one of them, Senator Jinggoy Estrada, to publicly confirm that Senators who voted to impeach former Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Corona were indeed allocated additional lump sum funds of P50 million to P100 million over and above their P200 million PDAF. From any angle, this looks like a “bribe” so it was immediately denied. But when some senators admitted having received said allocation, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) somersaulted and confirmed that lump sum releases were indeed made for the projects to be designated by Senator-Judges over and above their P200 million PDAF. They were really put to good use and they came from a newly devised lump sum fund revealed for the first time and dubbed as Development Acceleration Program (DAP). The noble ends justify the illegal means.

This DAP likewise came under fire not only because it was another form of pork barrel given to the 20 Senator-Judges but mainly because of its questionable constitutionality according to many constitutional experts. In fact since 2011 a total of P127 billion of these funds have already been used according to former senator Joker Arroyo. The DBM should be the one explaining this expenditure. But it seems that Malacanang is really behind this DAP as its spokesmen are the ones taking the cudgels for DBM Secretary Abad and explaining about its use.

And so public outrage increased even more and it appears that it would not dissipate anymore especially after the people learned that the PDAF and DAP have indeed been released to members of Congress before, during and after the impeachment hearings contrary to P-Noy’s claim that it was given only “after the fact.” Indeed, it is now turning out that these funds have also been used in ensuring the passage of the foreign imposed Reproductive Health (RH) law which P-Noy fully backed after he was “convinced” by Obama during his State visit to the USA.

The latest irregularity coming into the limelight is the use of the Malampaya fund. It appears now that this administration has already used P15 billion of this fund in just three years whereas the previous administration had used a total of P20 billion only during its entire nine years in power. According to Senator Recto, P130 billion of these funds are unaccountable and could not be traced.

The present situation in our country especially on the questionable use of so many billions of the taxpayers’ money solely at the discretion of P-Noy is definitely incompatible with the concept of honesty and sincerity in public service. No matter how one looks at what’s happening now, the prevailing public perception is still so negative when it comes to the idea of this administration being honest and sincere in serving the people especially because P-Noy refused to give up all forms of “pork” he is now enjoying. That perception can only change if he agrees to the suggestion that all government funds be coursed through the treasury for disbursement pursuant to the General Appropriations Act.

People will certainly believe in P-Noy’s honesty and sincerity if he as President creates an independent Truth Commission composed of people from the private sector to investigate the many allegations of corruption and other anomalies involving him and his relatives.

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