When will the camel’s back break?
What would be the last straw, the one that would finally break the camel’s back? This question keeps coming back to me with every new information on the wrongs that our corrupt leaders continue to inflict on our patient people.
Here’s a quick listing of some disappointments under President Aquino’s leadership: the Priority Development Assistance Fund; the Napoles network that enabled so many officials to brazenly steal from their constituents; the Disbursement Acceleration Program which the Supreme Court may find unconstitutional; the Napolist disinformation campaign; the MRT maintenance contract; the still unresolved Stradcom contract(s); the aborted train purchase bribery exposed by the Czech ambassador; continuing rice smuggling; government (read: Philippine Coconut Authority/Department of Agriculture) neglect and incompetence in
addressing the pest infestation of coconut trees in Calabarzon; abuses by the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, in collaboration with Manila Water and Maynilad; overcharging by Meralco; a looming energy shortage; unending traffic woes; and now, unbridled rising prices of basic commodities and services.
And the previous administration where wholesale thefts and many other crimes, reportedly orchestrated by the incumbent president at the time and her first gentleman, were so many such that it seemed the two of them were in a contest as to who could steal more; the fertilizer scam about which nothing more happened
after two Senate investigations; the Maguindanao massacre the trial of which appears to be going nowhere; the PCSO plunder that reportedly directly linked La Gloria to the agency’s general manager’s crimes; the NBN-ZTE fiasco; the disappeared “China Railway”; the Piatco-Fraport case; and, of course, the “Hello, Garci” election robbery.
The previous regimes were not much better. Erap Estrada wasn’t clean, that’s why Edsa 2 erupted. Fidel Ramos’ first four years may have been good, but as his term drew to a close, his administration seemed to have succumbed to temptation. Cory may have been clean, but her Kamaganak Inc. almost gave Marcos and his predecessors a run for the “distinction” of who could steal more.
Through all this abuse, the Filipino wakes up every day, trying as best as he can to survive till the morrow. But one day, the last straw will break the camel’s back and turn the people’s patience into uncontrollable anger. Many signs point to that very big possibility and it could come any day.
—JOSE OSIAS,
