SENDING crooks to jail may not be enough to appease an extremely angry nation suffering from poverty, hunger and uncertainty. What the people want is to recover what has been lost in the systemic corruption in the government.
No less than Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon has admitted during the Senate blue ribbon committee inquiry that losses from anomalous flood control projects could reach up to the trillions of pesos
Yes, we’re not just talking about tens of billions. The amount lost through ghost infrastructure projects under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) alone could go beyond trillions.
That’s how systemic corruption is in a country predominantly ruled by descendants of political dynasties.
The creation of an independent commission (by virtue of an executive order) to look into flood control projects spanning the last 10 years sounds good, or so I thought.
The scale of anomalies uncovered so far includes both ghost projects and substandard construction certified as completed.
But by the time the investigation is over, the main characters behind the dubious scheme may have already escaped or gone into hiding, with their loot secured elsewhere — just like what “William Saunders” did before being exiled in Hawaii 39 years ago.
Congressman Zaldy Co has left the country. DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo is on “medical leave” — and has yet to surface in the congressional hearings.
While charges have already been filed by the DPWH against some of its officials, these people are no more than minions.
The main characters behind the fund mess remain in power and in possession of the public funds they earned through illegal means.
If President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is serious enough in what he claims is a crusade against corruption, then he should consider working on the idea of freezing the assets of the government officials — including congressmen whose names have been dragged into what looks more like the worst corruption in the history of our country.
Under the Philippine Competition Act, private contractors involved in bid rigging could be slapped with fines ranging from P100 million to P250 million per offense. With the volume of flood control projects during the last 10 years, the government would be able to recover a small portion of what has been lost.
But wait… from what I heard, Zaldy Co’s “partner” at the House of Representatives has already secured his illegally-amassed wealth (including his jet and 12 mansions inside the exclusive villages in Makati City) and is planning on leaving the country soon.