EDITORIAL - Nobody resigns in the Phl

The status of the pork barrel scam right now is that the Office of the Ombudsman has found probable cause to indict three sitting senators and several others. But contrary to how many understood this development, no charges for graft and plunder have yet been filed before the Sandiganbayan.

A prominent lawyer explained that the Ombudsman did not immediately file charges with the anti-graft court against the suspects because it recognizes the fact that they still have the statutory right to appeal its findings.

What this tells us is that we are nowhere near where we thought we are already. We still have a long way to go. The fight against corruption is far from over. Not only that no charges have yet been filed, it will also take a very long time to resolve once they are.

And that is what makes the Philippines vastly different from other countries that do not only have more mature democracies but are also imbued with a more robust sense of accountability and shame. Had this been, say, Japan, all the three sitting senators would have long resigned, or committed harakiri.

What is even more remarkable is that such maturity and sense of shame do not merely apply to situations where serious offenses have already been committed or are imputed. A high sense of respect for institutions forces aspiring leaders to impose the highest bar of qualification upon their own selves.

Thus, had some of our politicians been citizens of some highly regarded western democracies, they probably would have declined from running for office. President Aquino himself would have politely refused his party's nomination, knowing fully well what the real and only basis was for his candidacy.

But this is the Philippines, where winning is everything, and never mind the part about holding office and in what manner. Even the losers are no different. They always whine about being cheated. They never take into consideration such factors as qualification.

Resigning has no relevance in the Philippine political setting. The only reason the word has not sunk into obscurity is because of its continued use in chess, an honorable game. Elsewhere, it doesn't exist. In this country, even wanted men can make a comeback once it is safe to do so, and become "honorable" men again.