Using Christian values to fight corruption!

Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) has endorsed the name of Merceditas Gutierrez as the next Ombudsman to succeed outgoing Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo. Let me just say that anyone can present their impeccable credentials, but it is their performance in the office they would assume that would make or break their reputation. The Office of the Ombudsman has a lot of cases and a few successes. Let's hope Merceditas Gutierrez would turn things around and make her office efficient and thorough.

Filipinos these days have become so corruption weary, they will accept anyone for new for this post as long as the new Ombudsman would push cases and not assume the role of Mona Lisa. By this, we don't mean our Ombudsman must be another Leonardo da Vinci, rather it is a reference to his famous Mona Lisa painting which became a song whose unforgettable wordings goes, "they just lie there and die there!" Yes, that's how people describe the cases being filed against suspected corrupt officials. Their cases just lie in the Office of the Ombudsman and eventually die and forgotten.

Yesterday morning our very dear friend, Fr. Hubert Decena officiated the Holy Mass for the Sons of David. He spoke of what he learned from the teachings of Pope John Paul II the Great, that in order to fight corruption, we need to create a Christian Culture and Values and inculcate it to our families and in turn bring those values to the government. What he is saying is, it took generations for the Filipino people to embrace corruption, thus it will also take a generation to remove it from the people's sub consciousness.

That statement got me into thinking… that it isn't enough that we are already a Catholic majority in this country, in truth, we are not really Christian in our ways and values! Now this is something you folks out there ought to reflect on… that it is time for us to embrace the teachings of Christianity!

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When I heard the news that Cebu Customs Collector Lourdes Mangaoang was assailed by the Citizen's Action for the Restoration of Ethics in Governance and Social Transformation (Citizen's Arrest) for allegedly maintaining a lifestyle that she couldn't sustain with her salary, I said to myself, what's new? Customs Officials assigned in Cebu easily come and go. In the past, we've been hitting on Customs officials, especially whenever stories of smuggling are reported; after all, we've heard too many stories of vehicles disappearing right under the noses of our Customs Officials and the biggest joke was when a whole ship slipped out of port without anyone knowing it!

However, I pictured the newly installed lady Customs Collector Mangaoang as a "square peg in a round hole" after all, she was kinda feisty and didn't care whose toes she'd step on to do her job. That she would even fight the Mandaue Police who apprehended a container van for a traffic violation (but was looking for something) was something unheard of in the past.

Well, just when we thought that she was on her way out, The Freeman came up with a story yesterday that belied reports that Collector Mangaoang was going to be relieved. With this news, I'm now inclined to believe the other report that the story of her relief was leaked out to besmirch her reputation. Come now, this is the first time I have heard of this Citizen's Arrest group. What I would like to know is, why didn't they investigate the predecessor of Collector Mangaoang, Mr. Billy Bibit whom we chastised when he was still Customs Collector in Cebu?

Don't get me wrong, I am for conducting a lifestyle check on all government officials, elected or appointed. But this process should not be selective and from the look of things, the process seems very selective. But even before that, we want to know who are behind the group accusing Collector Mangaoang so we can also check these people if they are legit or not.

Our best example are the people behind the so-called Citizen's Congress for Truth and Accountability (CCTA). If we only know the name of the organization without knowing who are behind it, then what's the point? But when we learned who are the people behind the CCTA, folks who have formed themselves into a Kangaroo court, then we don't have to take these people seriously. So as far as the Citizen's Arrest group is concerned, we're not taking them seriously until they reveal to the public who they are.

Meanwhile, we take the word of Customs Commissioner Alexander Arevalo who told The Freeman's Fred Languido that Mangaoang is on her way out but will stay in Cebu as long as she's needed. Well so far, she has fared much better than her predecessor, who refused to answer all our queries. That alone shows how different Mangaoang is to her predecessor.

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For email responses to this article, write to [email protected]. Bobit Avila's columns can also be accessed through www.thefreeman.com