Where justice is due

In the midst of all the “Battles of the PDAF lists,” there are two observations I believe are worth sharing.

First, now is not the time to get distracted from the need to immediately file plunder charges against those that the Ombudsman have already completed their investigations. The public should not be distracted by the ridiculous arguments that everyone on the list should first be investigated and charged at the same time as proof of impartiality.

When a syndicate of thieves is suspected of perpetrating Mafia-like operations, no one says that until all the thieves are investigated and charged, no one should be charged in court. The moment one is caught and the government is ready to prosecute, then that person should be immediately charged.

So now is the time to file plunder charges against those that have already been investigated. Now is the time to file appropriate charges — plunder, if that is the case — against Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, Ramon Revilla, Janet Lim  Napoles, Gigi Reyes and all those in the initial list of the real whistleblowers — Ben Hur Luy and his group.

I am sure that the moment plunder charges are filed and those who should be imprisoned are put in prison, public attention will shift away from the guessing game about the various lists and shift back to demanding justice for all those guilty of plundering this country.

I fail to understand why, in the midst of the growing PDAF scams, the spotlight is on media personalities, the alleged plunderers and their lawyers. It is time to return the initiative back to where it belongs. Let the Three Furies — De Lima, Carpio Morales and Pulido Tan — do their work so the public can then decide whether they were up to the challenge. Let the cases go the courts, and let the public pressure the courts for speedy justice.

The media should return to their proper role, which is to report and analyze the news, not make the news or be the news.

As far as the Senate is concerned, it should accept that with so many former and present senators under a cloud of suspicion, it is not the appropriate body to conduct a public investigation. If the Senate and the House want to regain their credibility, then they should focus on their job — passing the laws that will help the Filipino people. The individual senators and congressmen who have been implicated should focus on clearing their names. Harassing Napoles or any whistleblower in a public hearing is only going to further reduce the credibility of the Senate.

Second, I have observed that certain public personalities have judged the Daang Matuwid campaign as a failure, and that only P-Noy seems to be the only honest person in government. It is true that certain officials like Abad, Alcala and Villanueva have been implicated by Napoles. These three are fully capable of defending themselves. I have written a column saying that Alcala should resign as Agriculture Secretary, not due to any PDAF scandal, but for his department’s dismal failure to meet their targets, especially in rice self sufficiency, and the failure to clean the National Food Authority and National Irrigation, two agencies previously under him.

But I want to point out that there are many senior and lower officials in this government who have done their work without any taint of scandal and are role models for public service. I hope people will recognize the heroic task that Br Armin Luistro has accomplished as Secretary of Education. The public has now accepted the K to 12 program. But, at the start, there was a lot of flak and recriminations. Secretary Luistro has dedicated his life to education and understands the importance of public education in uplifting the lives of the Filipino people. Today, every time the Philippines is internationally cited as a country with an extremely optimistic economic future, the country’s great strides in education is always mentioned as one factor.

In spite of the mammoth size of his department and the billions of pesos in its budget, Secretary Luistro has remained above suspicion and continues to live in the very simple lifestyle of a La Salle Brother.

To this list, we can add Agrarian Reform Secretary Gil de los Reyes who was handed a tough and controversial assignment, including the final settlement of the Luisita case. He did his job with minimum fanfare and has also remained above suspicion.

When Rogelio Babes Singson took over the Department of Public Works and Highways, it had the reputation of being one of the most corrupt, if not the most corrupt, government department. But Babes Singson was able to manage the herculean task of building roads and bridges that really exist and with the right materials. Because of his competence, efficiency and good intentions, he had public support even when his road re-blocking of EDSA caused traffic jams. At least we knew the result would be worth the waiting and the sacrifice.

Health Secretary Enrique Ona’s strong stand prevented the cannibalization of the property that rightly belonged to the Children’s Hospital. After being confined in the National Kidney Center for almost two weeks, I can personally attest that there are now government hospitals where the medical service is as good, or even better, than the best private hospitals.

Whatever criticisms there may be about government’s response to disaster, there have been very little criticism about Dinky Soliman, the Social Welfare Secretary. Her compassion and tireless energy are evident every time she is seen in a disaster scene.

There are many others in government who deserve respect and recognition. Let us give justice where it is due.

Putting the crooks and plunderers in jail even if they occupy powerful positions, and supporting those who have been paragons of good governance, performing with competence and integrity — these are the landmarks of the path that will lead us to becoming a nation where every Filipino will have the opportunity to live a life of human dignity.

*      *      *

E-mail: [email protected]