It’s unfair that senators charged with plunder for pocketing kickbacks from their pork barrel allocations are suffering the ignominy of being jailed and living with rats and cockroaches, while former Social Security System presidents Romulo Neri and Corazon dela Paz, who were already found guilty of pocketing over P300 million from SSS coffers by a Senate investigation headed by Sen. Franklin Drilon, roaming around free, are enjoying fresh air and sunlight—and their loot.
The Philippine Association of Retired Persons filed a complaint against the tandem in the Office of the Ombudsman over three years ago, but no decision on their complaint has yet been made up to this day despite the fact that the investigators have already submitted their report to the Ombudsman, according to our informant.
We urge the Ombudsman to decide the case now, not so much to level the “jailing” field as to hasten the recovery of stolen funds which the poor retirees urgently need to stay alive.
I suggest furthermore that the Philippines hasten the disposition of cases as other countries do. Lawyers of the Office of the Ombudsman should look into cases involving public welfare institutions like the SSS and the Government Service Insurance System.
Finally, to serve as effective deterrent to high-profile criminals, let’s have only one kind of jail—a jail like hell, as they say. We Filipinos have a funny sense of justice. We jail criminals but we let them enjoy the comforts of home in jail or make their jails like home. A pretty good example of the rewards of being high-profile criminals.
Ninakawan na tayo ng walang awa, na-awaan pa natin ang mga magnanakaw. Hindi bale na, kaawa-awa naman sila… while our children say… ganon lang pala. (Robbers have stolen from us without pity, but still we show compassion for them. Never mind, they deserve the pity… while our children say… so, after all, it boils down to that.
—AMADO F. CABAERO,
founding chair and past national president, Philippine Association of Retired Persons