Not ‘sandigan ng bayan’

For absolving the crime of a very well-known name of high social standing, the Sandiganbayan should modify or change its name to: “Sandigangarapal.”

Why the change? With its lopsided verdict that set Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. free with no punishment whatsoever other than to return part of the P224-million pork barrel fund he was accused of plundering — while the two other parties to the crime were meted out 40 years of prison time and ordered to return the looted money — doesn’t that imply that the Sandiganbayan is not truly an institution that the people (“bayan”) can lean on for fairness and equality, which is what the word “sandiganbayan” suggests?

It’s obvious that the Sandiganbayan’s sense of fairness is lost in cases involving those with familiar-sounding names and powerful positions even when enough circumstantial evidence exists, like the unexplained bank deposits in Revilla’s case that should have been reason enough to convict him.

How sad that corruption seems to have become a way of life for most of those in government service; there’s hardly a day that corruption issues are not part of the news.

Coupled with Duterte’s antiquated style of leadership, is it any wonder that the Philippines has now become a very chaotic nation?

All these anomalies only exacerbate the suffering of those already deep in misery for being poor and deprived of opportunities by self-serving politicians masquerading as public servants.

JUANITO T. FUERTE,
jtfuerte@comcast.net