If the Napoles list is true and the recent disclosure of its contents by rehabilitation czar Panfilo Lacson void of sinister motive, then it’s normal for Filipinos to initially react with shock and revulsion.
President Aquino must now be in a state of righteous indignation amid all the revelations of seemingly numberless and flagrant anomalies in government nowadays—that is, if indeed he is sincere and serious in his fight against corruption. At the same time, he must be happy that all these exposés are happening under his watch because it’s an indication of the level of trust the people have in his administration.
Let the Department of Justice pursue justice without let up and with dispatch, notwithstanding undue pressure from all sides. Let the axe fall on the guilty whatever their affiliations, and let the innocent prove they are clean.
Unbelievable are the revelations on the list of the so-called “queen of scams,” though it’s no surprise. Lucrative business for the crooks and a siren lure for would-be crooks, this is what politics and government service in the country seem to be all about.
More such lists ought to follow soon because there isn’t only one Janet Lim-Napoles.
Had it not been for corruption, the Philippines could have long been on the road to progress and by this time could have achieved the status of a well-developed nation like Singapore and South Korea. Corruption doesn’t just rob the poor and hungry of food, shelter and billions of pesos. Corruption ever corrodes the character of a nation supposedly rising from the rubble of past failings.
Lacson warned that the Senate may collapse under the “weight” of the Napoles list. So be it, but I beg to disagree. Unearthing widespread corruption of unparalleled outrageous magnitude by our legislators and officials in the executive and judicial branches of government may jolt our democratic institutions for a while, but would ultimately lead to Truth. And Truth will, in the end, make government and the people win as it sets us all free.
—RENI M. VALENZUELA,
renimvalenzuela@yahoo.com