‘Is the President ready to confront the widespread public anger that has otherwise been defused with his creation of the ICI?’
AFTER seeing that a P96.5 million flood control project was abandoned from the start in Davao Occidental, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon could not restrain himself and cursed the district engineer of Jose Abad Santos in the province, especially when he found out that it was reported completed in October 2022 and fully paid by January 2023 to a Discaya-owned company. According to Barangay Culaman residents, the project was started “just three weeks ago.”
In front of the residents and the media, Dizon continued to berate the red-faced engineer for ignoring the miserable plight of residents due to the worsening flooding. He called on all district engineers in the country involved in flood control scams to come clean and warned them that he would continue to be relentless in cleaning up the DPWH and “uubusin namin kayo.” Dizon also expressed confidence that there are still honest and very capable DPWH personnel who can replace them.
Baguio City Mayor and former Special Adviser to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) Benjamin Magalong, who accompanied Dizon on that inspection trip, informed the district engineer that he would have him imprisoned for apparently being part of the scandalous anomaly.
President Bongbong Marcos, who personally appointed Magalong to be an active member of the ICI, should reject the mayor’s resignation. The President championing the probe and criminal accountability of DPWH officials and legislators may be eroded if he allows the incorruptible and fearless city mayor to leave. Is the President ready to confront the widespread public anger that has otherwise been defused with his creation of the ICI?
The President should realize by now that he faces a deeply wrenching dilemma if he seeks to save the skin of his close relatives and allies engaged in massive corruption, instead of exposing them all the way, as he himself assured two weeks ago. That would be an extraordinary achievement, indeed, never before experienced in our country’s history. The extremely difficult political, personal and social costs would be overwhelming, but ultimately will be remarkably rewarding for his name, his legacy and, above all, for the soul of this nation.
Most of those engaged in flood control scams have likely thrived in families where corruption was practically taught. Prestigious private and public universities are sorely lacking in embracing and pursuing a strong and genuine sense of honesty and integrity, and continue to raise generations of highly intelligent, resourceful and competent crooks in the government and society.
Indeed, bringing up a family truly grounded in morals and values has not been a major part of any school curriculum. Excellence in academics and other fields of achievement has simply drowned the deeply essential standards for honesty, integrity and genuine love of country.
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High school batchmate Noel Javier posted this on our Lourdes School QC chat group: “Corruption starts at home. Hindi sa Malacanang. Hindi sa Senado. Hindi sa Kongreso. Doon mismo – sa kusina. sa sala, sa hapag kainan. Kapag bata pa lang, tinuruan ng white lies -”Anak, sabihin mo wala ako’, ‘Aba, okay lang ‘yan, makalusot lang.’ Maliit na kasinungalingan, pero ugat ng mas malaking kasalanan.
“At dahil na ayaw natin na mahirapan sila, tayo mismo ang nagtuturong mandaya. Simpleng assignment lang – imbis na siya ang gumawa, nagbayad tayo ng iba para gumawa. Simpleng project lang – imbis na matuto sa pagkakamali, tayo pa ang kumukunsinti. Kapag nagkamali sa school, imbis na ituwid, sisihin pa ang teacher o ang kaklse.
“Kung ganito ang training sa bahay, huwag ka nang magtaka kung paglaki, mandaraya rin sila sa negosyo, manlalamang rin sila sa trabaho, magnanakaw rin sila sa bayan.”
“Corruption is not born in palaces of power. It is bred in silence. It is raised in excuses. It is nurtured in families who choose convenience and comfort over conscience.
“Kaya kung may gusto tayong baguhin sa lipunan, simulan sa tahanan. Kung gusto nating matigil ang pandaraya at nakawan sa gobyerno, simulan sa mesa kung saan tayo kumakain o sa sala kung saan tayo nagkukwentuhan. Kung ayaw nating magnakaw sila paglaki, ituro natin ngayon na mas mahalaga ang katotohanan kaysa sa maling diskarte.”
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Some 200 employees of Channel 9 (Radio Philippines Network) who were unjustly retrenched during the presidency of Noynoy Aquino are appealing to the Office of the President. The two unions representing the rank-and-file and middle management were powerless to stop the blatant violation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement providing for fair separation benefits. The highly incompetent programming and marketing partners of the then industry’s leading network, also associated with the administrations of Gloria Arroyo and Fidel Ramos, have turned Channel 9 into a milking cow until viable corporate options for marketing revenues ultimately vanished into thin air.
Persistent speculations pointed to union officers who were overcome by very tempting offers by management for a sell-out. Many disgruntled retrenched employees spent many weeks in depression after management released just a pittance from their separation pay, lawfully provided under the CBA.
The hapless employees filed labor cases at the Court of Appeals and then at the Supreme Court, which were denied in the face of endless speculations of political and legal maneuverings and pay-offs by a Chinese-owned media and broadcasting conglomerate that lorded it over Channel 9 for over a decade
They are appealing to President Bongbong Marcos to try to help find a way for them to recover their separation benefits due to legal questions that were not resolved by the High Court.
