DISCLAIMER. Personal opinion only. Not representative of any organization's views and beliefs.
Hello Philippines.
This is my very first politically themed blog post, and I have been blogging (though not regularly) since 2012.
I have not always been very vocal about politics. My social media platforms are largely in private, but this post should serve as a window to how I personally think about this major corruption issue.
I get it, everyone should complain. I do complain, because as for paying taxes, I have handed the government a total of... scrrch bzzz bzzz tooot tooot
[Commercial break...]
This message is brought to you by the Bureau of Internal Revenue. We collect.
This message is also brought to you by your Department of Public Works and Highways. We spend.
Hi. We are your Department of National Defense. We can spend, but it's a shame the other departments have spent most of it. We literally have a rusting warship at sea!
[Now, back to the program...]
The government is already filthy, and the stench has reeked so much that the public has taken notice, and this foul smell was even fouler than what was uncovered in the 2013 Pork Barrel Scam. Who would have thought a seemingly "innocent" vlog feature of a magnanimously wealthy family allegedly running multiple construction firms would ignite the fire from a smoke that had been in the air for quite some time now?
And the flood of details about the anomalous flood control projects appears to be never-ending. Public hearings in both chambers of the Philippine Congress are shedding some light, but the Filipino begin to whine: then, what now?
Hence, the planned protests. People are demanding action, not just SenateFlix and Congress+ livestream series.
Needless to say, the protests are stemming from the public's collective anger, disgust, and horror of what the love of money can do to destroy the morals of individuals, to take away the many aspirations of hardworking Filipinos, and to plunder the supposedly rich country in more ways than one.
If estimates were to be considered as biblical truth, there may be trillions, if not billions of pesos, that went to waste. Can you imagine how many peeple would be instantly lifted out of poverty with a trillion (1,000,000,000,000) pesos? Distribute this equally to all Filipinos categorized as "poor" (about 18 million according to official data), each individual can get more than 55,000! For many, fifty-five thousand pesos is a dream come true! (How these peeple are going to spend it, though, is not for me to say.)
And do you know what other benefits a trillion pesos can bring to this country? I am listing down some:
- It can electrify an entire region which can make that area competitive for business and investment.
- It can be used to relocate families away from disaster-prone areas, reducing the number of individuals who are at risk when earthquakes, floods or landslides occur.
- It can fund much-needed railway projects in many parts of the country, especially in Mindanao, Cebu and Panay. Don't forget upgrading the small airports, too!
- We can procure advanced medical equipment for our hospitals, or wipe out the debt of PhilHealth to healthcare workers and medical facilities alike.
- We can rejuvenate the agriculture and aquaculture sectors of our nation, making the Philippines potentially self-sufficient in food production, a feat we are yet to achieve.
- We can augment our naval defense capabilities, perhaps we can build a military-grade shipbuilding facility.
The government should really take urgent action and bring justice. Political will is needed: BRING. THESE. CORRUPT. PEOPLE. TO. COURT. just as those who were accused of stealing food out of hunger and extreme poverty. The government should show the peeple that they have some control, if not full control, of the situation. Put to jail those who need to be in there, punish those who deserve punishment.
The government must do a major revamp, seriously. If this reorganization would cause a whole lot of vacancies in public offices, then just do it! Why worry about the vacancies and "discontinuity" of programs, most of those programs are corrupted anyway. Firing people from their posts, stripping them of their undeserving benefits, and holding them accountable would send a message that the government means business! I am hopeful that more honest people are willing to take the job.
(SIDE NOTE: I am not in favor of a charter change at this point; we need the citizenry to be more educated, more aware and more engaging. I am afraid a ratification will just be a nominal approval of the new constitution, with the majority not actually in complete understanding of its contents and their intent.)
Some peeple are suggesting tax breaks. Why not? I'm not in favor of a long-term tax break though as this will affect the basic services the public receives. But again, why not? Tax credits or incentives, maybe?
We know that the younger generation is very vocal about their feelings, and they are harder to please. They require tougher actions to equate with the strong words you in the government have uttered. I understand why they feel this way: they are fighting for their future.
As for those who may have been living very comfortable lives at the expense of our taxes, they should really be ashamed of themselves! A lot of us are asking, how can they sleep at night?
May those peeple who may have truly benefitted from all forms of corruption, touch what is left with their conscience, close their eyes and start visualizing in their minds...
...imagine the sight of families frantically fleeing their only home which is mere seconds from being swept away by the raging flood,
...imagine the children in beds of an overly crowded hospital desperately catching their breath as they suffer from dengue or leptospirosis,
...imagine the sound of the wails of a mother holding her lifeless child who drowned when he or she slipped off a wooden bridge that was left to neglect in years.
If their morality is still intact, they should not hesitate to do the right thing: admit to doing wrong, face the court, pay for the consequences, and lastly but most importantly, RETURN! THE! FREAKING! MONEY!
This is what the Filipinos need to see: political will from our leaders and a great deal of shame on the faces of those who may have plundered the nation.
If the 2025 elections are of any indication to those currently seated, I can't wait what 2028 and the succeeding elections will hold for all those who savored political posts without faithfully and conscientiously serving their people. Public servants and would-be politicians should start seriously thinking about their odds in politics. Social media age demands proof. No proof of work, not easy for you to back yourself up. You can generate AI, but one livestream on-site can negate your efforts immediately.
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| AI generated image via imagegenerator.com |
And yes, the Sunday's protests should not be a protest of just a singular group. We are one in clamoring for transparency and accountability: no religion, no political inclination, no economic status and no linguistic group should be in superior over the other.
God has already made a way to uncover all this unimaginable mess. May we continue to ask for His mercy towards our country. Please pray for our nation.
MINI BLOG PLUG.
Got more time reading? You may want to explore more on this blog by reading these two about the author (Outer Layer and Inner Core), or by finding the all-time most popular posts at the bottom part of this page.
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Thanks for dropping by, peeple!
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