You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.
I was reminded of this statement by the American president Abraham Lincoln when I heard Jinggoy Estrada’s and Ramon “Bong” Revilla’s claim that they are still well-liked by the people, notwithstanding the adverse publicity they are getting as a result of their involvement in pork barrel scams. They even implied that they would still win should they decide to run in the 2016 elections.
How impudent of them to make these assumptions in the light of ironclad evidence pointing to their participation in the anomalous and scandalous plunder of public funds. Their celebrity status as movie stars—never mind that they are virtually ineffective as legislators—has wrongfully imbued them with a sense of invulnerability, believing that most Filipinos, especially the masa, will continue to idolize them regardless of their many transgressions in their public and private lives.
This perverted thinking, which also deludes other senators, members of the House of Representatives and high-ranking government officials, should prompt us to remain forever vigilant and relentless in our fight for justice so that those found guilty, no matter how powerful and popular they are, could be held accountable and sent to jail.
—AMADOR F. ASTUDILLO, director, Procurement Watch Inc., afastudillo@yahoo.com