?KUNG WALANG corrupt, walang mahirap? lays the foundation of President Noynoy?s administration, and we could not agree with him more. With his State of the Nation Address (Sona) last Monday clearly underscoring this, the Filipino nation will now anxiously wait for him to deliver on his promise to fight corruption. We have seen how the efforts to go after the corrupt officials of the Marcos administration have failed miserably, and we hope and pray that we would not see a repeat of the corrupt going scot-free and of government failing to land even just one big fish in jail.

Such failure has simply encouraged the corrupt to continue with their merry ways, trusting in the Filipino?s proven poor memory?and even shorter recall. Or could it be that, frustratingly, the corrupt?especially those with power and authority?outnumber the honest and true? It is likewise largely observed that the corrupt find strength and comfort in aiding and abetting ?partners in crime? and thus they obliterate the crime by association?meaning, since everyone is guilty, including some ?legal enforcers? for sale, who will first blow the whistle?

The legacy of the Marcos era is full of accounts about corrupt officials ?getting away? and regaling such ?feat? with pride and false bravado. The Filipino?s mental acuity was so blunted by the never-ending stream of ?white noise? made to slacken public vigilance against corrupt acts perpetrated and abetted with growing brazenness and shamelessness. The biggest reason for the failed prosecution of corrupt officials of the Marcos-era is the extremely slow wheels of justice caused by the incompetence of the prosecutors; or the lack of purpose and seriousness in going after the perpetrators; or the serious defects in our justice system; or, most likely, a combination of all three. A key guiding principle of justice is the phrase ?justice delayed is justice denied.? Many of these cases, particularly those against the Marcos family and cronies, have been dragging on for more than 20 years now. Do we have to wait another 20 years to see justice finally served? And how could justice be served when the accused die of age-related diseases, and judges have to retire and be replaced because it has taken decades to decide the cases, if at all they have been decided? Indeed, our tendency to ?forgive and forget? is abetted by the sheer greed of the shameless perpetrator and those equally guilty for letting him/her go scot-free.

This extraordinarily long and unjustifiable delay in the resolution of these cases is a matter that needs to be urgently addressed by the Supreme Court and our President.

How should we judge the success or failure of our new government in redressing such longstanding injustice to our people? To the Filipino nation, it should not be simply about numbers?e.g., how many cases will be filed by the Truth Commission against corrupt officials and those who had a hand in circumventing or obstructing justice.

With the rise of a trusted administration, Filipinos should not settle for anything less than the imprisonment of the guilty and the recovery of their ill-gotten wealth within one year. The prosecution of large-scale corruption should be time-bound; the seemingly never-ending court hearings laced with postponements ad nauseam should be a thing of the past.

Putting immediate closure to these cases can be achieved without sacrificing due process and the right of the accused to defend himself or herself.

We as a people should not be ?too nice? to the corrupt. The crooked and fraudulent should be despised, ignored and not worshipped as idols to be emulated or, worse, voted to public office. Playing blind to the depravity and greed of the corrupt has no place in President Noynoy?s administration. It is indeed unfortunate that our right to vote has been so debased by known corrupt individuals who see and use the public office as a means not to serve the nation but to stay in power, and as an opportunity to amass more wealth. To date, with the laudable, sincere, well thought out, focused, frank and transparent actions of President Noynoy and his men, the Philippines is poised to turn over a new leaf. We are aware who the corrupt are in our midst; they stick out like sore thumbs today, unlike before, not too long ago, when they blended well with the rotten apples and the rotten landscape. Now that transparency and accountability are par for the course, the unrefined, ugly, calculating and opportunistic ways of the corrupt are no longer welcome nor condoned. We herald the start?and continuation?of a Filipino culture that shuns corruption and demands honesty, transparency and accountability from our government officials.

David L. Balangue is a former chairman and managing partner of SyCip Gorres Velayo & Co., and past president of the Management Association of the Philippines, the Financial Executives Association, and the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He is also the founder of Tita Cory Movement. Comments may be sent to davidlbalangue@yahoo.com.ph