Meanwhile, as we were glued to the boob tube listening to inauguration speeches and trying to divine clues about our future, there was a public servant who was plugging away and systematically doing what the new President has vowed to do upon his assumption into office: ruthlessly weeding out corruption.
Ombudswoman Conchita Carpio-Morales just released a couple of orders that, come to think of it, have been typical of her: indicting small and medium sized fish and making sure to send them off packing into the frying pan. (I love mixing my metaphors).
Over in Cagayan de Oro City, the Ombudswoman found that the mayor, Oscar Moreno, had entered into an illegal lease contract. While the amount involved was relatively small, only P175,000, this was enough for the mayor to be found guilty of misconduct.
And in San Sebastian, Samar, she also found probable cause to indict Virginia Uy, the local treasurer, after discovering that Uy had cash advances disbursed directly to her name that had been left unliquidated. The advances spanned four years, and had already exceeded P12 million when it came to her attention.
Sure, these small fry weren't enough to land sizzling on the front pages. Sure, maybe they didn't even make it to the television news. I mean, what's a couple of million squirreled away here and there, right? But these are exactly the kind of signals we should be encouraging and broadcasting through to the corrupt government workers still rooting their way deep into the system.
It's not enough for the President to talk tough. These career thieves have heard anti-corruption speeches their whole rotting lives. Former President Aquino ran his whole platform on attacking corruption. And yet, the slimy lot are probably thinking right now: they survived Aquino! They still have their jobs! They have all their ill-gotten cars parked in their freshly laundered houses and their dirty old bills still hidden under their feathered beds! So what makes us, the hopeful citizenry, think that this new President can actually make them tremble?
That's the beauty of the Ombudswoman, a legacy of President Aquino. She will be the battle axe (which by no means is a derogatory reference to her age) that will deliver on President Duterte's anti-corruption vows.
President Duterte doesn't have to look hard or think long about who to appoint in this key position. President Aquino already did all that. Duterte has been gifted this asset by Aquino, and all Duterte has to do moving forward is support the Ombudswoman. Sure he can probably ask her to focus on certain individuals that he suspects are crooked, or position her against his enemies, but so long as they are truly criminal, she will deliver the blows for him.
That's what I call a match made in graft heaven!
We have a few years to enjoy this wonderful conjoining. By the end of their union, we should be able to see concrete gains. More robust reforms, the right allocation of government resources, a more contented citizenry who can see that their taxes are doing something for them, whether by way of delivery of basic services or (being the crisis-prone country that we are) better responses to crises.
And yes, more heads on the chopping block! Government officials identified, pilloried, wrung, and hung out to dry! (Am I showing my vindictive streak yet again?). Criminal prosecutions and convictions! And hopefully, although this has taken decades in the case of the Marcoses, the recovery of ill-gotten wealth.
Do I want the death penalty for them? Oops, I've run out of column space...
(See, that's what happens at the start of every new political term. I become sentimental and hopeful. Perchance, to dream).