‘There will certainly be political costs, but the rewards will leave an ultimate historical testament for him and from a grateful nation.’
BAGUIO City Mayor Benjamin Magalong will likely be treated as a “hostile” witness if and when he faces the Committee on Infrastructure at the House of Representatives. This is the former “Tri-Comm” composed of the Committees on Public Accounts, Good Governance, and Public Accountability.
ACT Party-List Rep. Ronado Tinio has assured Magalong that “he has friends in Congress,” but the prominent names tagged in billions of pesos wasted in flood control scams will surely grill him to no end, forcing him to justify fully any criminal allegations in numerous and scandalous flood control projects. And ultimately, it would be Magalong himself who would turn out to be the object of the committee probe.
Magalong should be wary of possible threats to his life and safety. He should probably request a security team from the Philippine Marines, not from the PNP. Otherwise, Magalong should await the independent probe body that President Bongbong Marcos has been widely asked to create.
The Association of Generals and Flag Officers (AGFO), among other civic and private groups, has urged the President to create an independent commission. He himself has expressed alarm at the tragic consequences of failed flood control projects, which “directly threaten people’s lives, destroy livelihoods, displace families and erode the trust of the people in the government.”
The Chief Executive has ordered a lifestyle check on all government officials. Is he putting off organizing an independent commission made up of former justices and civil society leaders in favor of bypassing what could be a deep and incisive inquiry into embedded systemic corruption, which may also link several of his political allies? The apparent reluctance of the President to flex his muscles will degrade any attempt at leaving a truly notable legacy.
There will certainly be political costs, but the rewards will leave an ultimate historical testament for him and from a grateful nation. He can learn from Winston Churchill, who lost the elections in Britain after the Allies’ victory in World War II. Many citizens had blamed him for the human costs and damage to their country’s economy.
A few years later, Churchill would be reelected as prime minister after his nation realized his fearless and unparalleled contribution in saving Britain and the free world from the genocidal Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.
Lifestyle checks will not amount to anything conclusive to warrant the prosecution and conviction of those engaged in anomalous flood control and other infrastructure projects. The President has probably been apprised by his advisers protecting corrupt congressmen in huge infrastructure scams. Wayward legislators can just hire expensive and scheming lawyers to ensure that cases drag on indefinitely. Certainly, many of us recall a number of lifestyle checks conducted by past administrations that just fizzled out.
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Senate President Chiz Escudero should seriously assess the credibility of his leadership after it has become clear that he violated the Omnibus Election Code by receiving campaign donations from a government contractor, as shown in his SALN. He has even admitted that the much-favored contractor was a long-time friend.
Escudero should be wise enough to realize that the longer he stays on as senator and Senate president, the more damage the Senate will endure. No one can ignore the political and moral mistrust that seems to unravel against the Senate and its leadership
In Japan and in two other Asian countries where a name is more honored than wealth, fortune and power, “hara-kiri” has been a natural recourse.
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From veteran journalist Joel Paredes, as posted on FB: “The only thing that entertains me more is the spectacle of ordinary citizens’ outrage, their ‘ahs’ and ‘ohs’, directed at unrepentant corrupt officials and their big-time accomplices who hide behind the mask of public service.
“These officials are investigating themselves. A lawyer has dared one mayor, who has his own tally of their loot from the national coffers, to either produce better evidence or simply shut up. It’s as if they believe both houses of Congress still hold the respect of the people. They claim to have a mandate because they were elected, but they seem to fail and see that those elections were a sham, marred by widespread vote-buying and political gangsterism.
“Meanwhile, the very lawmakers who continue to benefit from the national coffers, along with some favored individuals in the executive department and the Department of Public Works and Highways, are sticking it out and looking for others to blame for the systemic corruption in the bureaucracy.
“This is just showtime. I only hope the public’s anger over this huge corruption is sustained. Maybe then people will finally realize they’ve been fooled and will use their votes to forge a truly vibrant democracy in the 2028 elections.”
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Warm birthday greetings to Yeshua Manansala, the 17-year-old son of Head Pastor Manny Manansala of the Live in Victory Ministries (LIV) at the Ortigas center. Yeshua is turning out to be a vibrant and persuasive preacher who leads the Church’s youth and worship team ministries. At his young age, he has probably touched more than a thousand lives and brought them to the Lord as he actively helps his selfless and tireless father in building and growing house churches in many provinces in the Philippines. God bless you always, Yeshua, with His eternal love, mercies, faithfulness, and power today and for all time!
