Staying on the right path

Pope Francis condemned the “idolatry of money” in his Papal Exhortation released last November. Among his messages, he spoke of the reasons countries fail “to realize the potential of their own economies and keep citizens from enjoying their real purchasing power.”

However, the Pope highlighted two reasons: “To all this we can add widespread corruption and self-serving tax evasion, which have taken on worldwide dimensions. The thirst for power and possessions knows no limits.”

Last December, President Noynoy Aquino said, “Filipinos know more than any other nation just how corruption can damage a society. Now only does it deprive people of the resources that are justly theirs, it saps public morale; it loosens the ties that bind institutions and the people together; and it breeds inequality.”

During the first three and a half years of his term, P-Noy has earned both local and international acclaim for turning the Philippines from the “sick man of Asia’ into one of the world’s fastest growing economy. One of the biggest reasons for this unprecedented economic growth has been major successes in the fight against corruption.

In its January-February, 2014 issue, the official publication of the US Council on Foreign Relations, the Foreign Affairs, in an article on the Philippines said: “In his first three years of his six-year term, Aquino has been relentless in fighting corruption and has implemented reforms to improve transparency and efficiency in government and tax spending.”

The revelations about the alleged multibillion-peso Napoles pork barrel scam have raised public outcry not seen since the days of People Power against the evils of the Marcos regime.

The public shock was not just a reaction to the billions of pesos misused, but also by the alleged participation of powerful politicians including senators and top government officials of the administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

 Senator Miriam Santiago has also revealed that the blatant and callous use of political power for economic gain has not been limited to the misuse of pork barrel funds. It has also included alleged smuggling with political protection, illegal logging, gambling and money laundering.

It is evident that the Filipino people now have high expectations that PNoy’s fight against corruption will lead to appropriate punishment for those guilty of enriching themselves at the expense of the people. Attention will be focused on the filing of plunder cases especially against Napoles, Enrile, Revilla and Estrada. Then there are still the cases against the remaining members of the HERMES gang like Honasan, Marcos and Sotto.

But it is important that, in the pursuit of the guilty parties in the Napoles pork barrel scam, we do not forget that there are other corruption cases that also demand justice.

I consider the fight to cleanse the Judiciary as important as the pork barrel scandal. I have been writing about the lack of transparency in the judiciary especially in the Office of the Court Administrator under Midas Marquez. It should be noted that this is the Office charged with responsibility for “judicial discipline;” whatever that means. I have been asking why the administrative case filed against judges in the Midas office is not subject to public scrutiny similar to cases filed, for example, in the Sandiganbayan against “ordinary mortals.”

Justice Leonen has rightfully earned a reputation for integrity and competence as a Cordillera advocate, Dean of the U.P. College of Law, and Chair of the Peace Panel. That is why I welcomed his appointment to head the investigation of the Arlene case, the judiciary’s equivalent of the Napoles scandal, which came to light due to my fellow Star columnist Jarius Bondoc.

The Supreme Court has promised results of this investigation by April of this year – 2014. We can only hope that that the results will uphold Justice Leonen’s reputation.

It is good to hear that PNoy himself has said that he has ended the era of cosmetic changes in the Bureau of Customs. It is our hope that the new Commissioner and the new set of Deputy Commissioners will finally end the era of systemic corruption in the Bureau of Customs

However, the administration must not forget to pursue with equal zeal the anti- smuggling cases that are still pending. First and foremost is the alleged smuggling case filed against Phoenix Petroleum. The company was able to get a TRO that prevented the filing of any case. This raised strong condemnation from Finance Secretary Purisima and Justice Secretary de Lima. Also, several business groups issued public statements and newspaper ads against that infamous TRO.

Now that the TRO has expired, the case must be pursued to prove the sincerity of the anti-smuggling campaign. I see that Phoenix Petroleum has expanded its operations in Metro Manila and has even opened a gasoline station along EDSA. In fairness to the public and to Phoenix Petroleum, which I assume is investing millions in its expansion program, this smuggling case must be resolved within the year.

Then there are the pending cases against Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and some of her officials. Justice demands that these cases be resolved immediately. The alleged Fertilizer Fund scandal that has implicated Jocjoc Bolante, allegedly a close friend of Mike Arroyo, is still crawling in the Second Division of the Sandiganbayan.

There are many people, especially in media and politics, who have tried to derail PNoy’s program to cleanse our society of systemic corruption. They have tried ridicule. They have called the fight against corruption ‘revenge’ instead of ‘justice.’ They have called it an impossible dream.

But this was the dream that made the Filipino people rally to his cause – kung walang corrupt walang mahirap. He must not allow dissenters, the weak hearted and the political opportunists to lead him astray.

PNoy must continue to lead the people on the path to a nation where the rule of law reigns supreme. All of us must do our part, remaining vigilant and keeping the faith, to not let our nation stray from this path. The path PNoy called Daang Matuwid.

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