This is a reaction to the news article ?Bernard Madoff gets 150 years in prison for ?extraordinary evil?.? (Inquirer, 7/1/09) If only this type of justice can be meted against Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her cohorts, then Filipinos will really be a happy lot. It is also the prospect of this type of retribution that is pushing the Arroyo administration to move heaven and hell so that it will not be evicted from power.

But come to think of it, the Arroyo administration has done worse crimes than Madoff, and Arroyo deserves to rot in prison for all eternity. Not only was money stolen from the Filipino people through the various scams her regime entered like the P728-million fertilizer scam, she also caused the torture, murder and disappearance of thousands of her critics. Arroyo is also the one primary responsible for the current sorry state of our nation?s economy due to her neo-liberal policies; she is engaged in selling Philippine patrimony and is trying to keep herself in power through Charter change.

For Arroyo to share at least the same fate as Madoff, then we must do our part in being more vigilant and active against all her attempts to tamper with the Constitution, to sabotage or cancel the elections, and to declare martial rule. We must also follow through with filing the appropriate charges against her and support these with mobilizations. Justice can only be attained through hard work, and our action is still the key to our country?s future.

?TESSA LOPEZ,
public information officer,
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-Bikol
(Bayan-Bikol),
Barangay 17, Legazpi City, Albay