Whistleblowers are still criminals

A number of whistleblowers would like us to think that they are heroes.

They would like us to think that they have suffered sleepless nights, oppression and political harassment for exposing a crime. They would like us to think that it is such a great personal sacrifice for them to be whistleblowers because their lives and their family are now in grave danger. They actually even want us to believe that they are the good guys.

Some people have actually fallen for this great lie, which is nothing more than “adding insult to injury”. Now, some people are trying to sell us the idea that because of what these whistleblowers have done, we should vote for them to be elected into Congress or in the Senate.

In short, we are now being asked to let the whistleblowers become the cops.

We are being told to “honor” people who were involved in illegal or criminal acts, we are being told to forget that they may, or have directly participated in deals or agreements that were disadvantageous to the government or to the people of the Philippines.

They want us to ignore the fact that the only reason they have become whistleblowers is because they were caught and made state witnesses, they burned their cover and were exposed for wrongdoing, someone double crossed them on a multi-million dollar scam, or because their actions or involvement in the matter cost them their political office, power or title.

The truth of the matter is that our current crop of whistleblowers, are just as guilty as the people they accuse of wrongdoing. They did not choose to become whistleblowers because of righteousness. they were not hounded by their conscience nor was there ever a sudden overwhelming sense of repentance.

Like fish, they were caught by their mouth, if not in the act. Their redemption was not of God but of desperate men running into the protective arms of a righteous people in order to avoid their extra-judicial death sentence.

And consistent with their character of deceit and hypocrisy, they play “the song of pity” on their violins so that the people who should have lynched them for their betrayal of public trust would actually be fooled into voting for them as Congressman or Senator.

They say that we all deserve a second chance, as a Christian I am reminded that God almighty is a God of second chances. But allow me to make the distinction.

The second chance that we speak of is about character and not public office. The second chance God gives us is about making him the center of our universe, the boss of our life and decision maker in all our undertakings.

It is not a game on the pinball machine that you simply reset and do things all over again, in the same arena and for the same purpose of enriching and empowering only yourself for your personal satisfaction and personal glory.

When I listen to the interviews, testimony and even commercials of these whistleblowers, I hardly hear them talk about what “THEY” did wrong, what sins “THEY” committed and the many acts of betrayals they committed against God, Country and family. They continue to call their acts as “a cause”, “a battle” or their defense. They never publicly admit their “sins” or their “crimes”. They have never washed their dirty laundry in public.

A true whistleblower is someone who discovers a criminal act, risks his life to expose and punish the guilty or someone who takes part in a crime, repents, and willingly face the consequence of his actions including being charged and being imprisoned for his crime.

Someone who simply diverts the attention and the accusations to other criminals is still a criminal.

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President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is obviously not a lame duck.

She is simply surrounded by TURKEYS who have not been doing their jobs. In just one week’s time, the President had to step into the territory or concerns of the DOTC and the DPWH because no one seems to have been paying attention to what people were complaining about.

For years, people have been complaining about abusive bus drivers and the nightmare we call the South Luzon Expressway. Year after year people in media have criticized, commented and attacked these two areas but nothing was ever done about it until nine people die in one accident and an 8-year old girl is crushed to death by a bus while cutting of her mother’s hand.

We have long complained about the Skyway as a recurring curse and when the second part of its construction began, people already complained but nothing was done until the President started to get an ear infection from the complaints.

Now that MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando has been called in to solve what an incompetent would not address, BF might also want to consider telling the builders of the Skyway to work on the project 24 hours or round the clock.

After being delayed and inconvenience by the Skyway project, the most annoying thing to see is that very little works goes on during Sundays and at night. I am sure that Bayani Fernando’s recommendation to reduce the working area eaten up by the builders will quickly remedy the situation. But if we want even more results and job generation, make the builders go on a 24-hour shift!