I recently saw an interview of newly-appointed Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat talking about the new job she was about to take. Somewhere in the middle of the interview, she shed tears. The interviewer was silenced as the only sound in the room came from her slightly choking from her crying. She was asked why, she answered back with full of pain in her eyes.
It pained her upon knowing that millions of pesos in government funds did not go to proper bidding and accountability. She knows that there are still more funds that were improperly used somewhere and she is determined to uncover them all. Her feelings for the farmers started as an affinity working for the Department of Agriculture. Understanding their plight and struggles made her remember that the wasted money should have gone to those who toil under the heat of the sun instead of to the pockets of shameless so-called officials.
In the recent visit of President Duterte in Cebu, he did not miss out in hitting government officials into graft and corruption. If there was anything heavier than a resignation, he is sure to kick them out of position. How can we blame the president? For sure he had no prior idea what his people would do to him in his administration. It is such as shame for these officials to have been publicly appealing for change when they themselves couldn't get away from the temptation of money.
The tourism industry has a lot to offer and we are doing our best to preserve our status as it is. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is busy cleaning up what used to be the country's gem island. Where was the DOT in all this? Probably busy looking for alternative destinations. They should have also taken the fall for the failure in regulation. We cannot point all fingers at the LGU. On top of it all is a separate department under the executive powers of the president that has forgotten to put attention on a very important island. Time was wasted merely on other things not instrumental to the development of this country. We are unfortunate to have had officials like them, but thankful that they are gone for good.
Will they face charges for what they have done? As of now, there is no word yet but I hope so. We cannot just forget the anomalies that they have committed just by merely replacing them with officials who have a bigger heart for service. They need to pay to show those who have intentions to illicitly use government funds that there is a price to pay.
Secretary Puyat's tears were genuine, I would say. The weight on her shoulders is now are heavier than ever as she tries to undo the mistakes done. She needs our support, instead of doubting what she is capable of. There's about four more years in this administration. I wonder what will surprise us next.