The President has time and again said that he wants to rid government of corruption. He even wants his seriousness on this matter get across to all and sundry by saying that he is not corrupt and if there is a weakness he should be taken to task with, it is all about girls.
He also wanted to impose patriotism to the younger generation by re-imposing the ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corps) as a requirement before graduating from senior high or college.
There are also measures imposed supposedly to curb corruption in the bureaucracy such as the presidential complaint desk and the hot lines which anybody could call to report misdeeds in government.
But the most effective measure to achieve both objectives is not being given enough attention—to make all government officers and political leaders lead by example.
As to corruption, the biggest fish are those in high offices of government. They steal by the billions or millions of pesos. And they don’t get caught or punished. It is the small fish who are sent to jail or being charged before the Ombudsman or convicted by the Sandiganbayan. In the military, the game of the generals is won by how big one amasses through the plunder of money meant for the enlisted men who are laying down their lives in the frontlines.
In the civilian side of government it is the high political figues who are raiding “big time” the government coffers. “What are we in power for?” As long as they are allied with those in power there is no danger of their being charged, much less being convicted. Our legislators, for instance, are amassing wealth by the billions through the PDAF and other means. Same thing with the cabinet secretaries. The higher one is in the totem pole, the more he could steal.
This is so widespread that it is considered normal in this country. Being not corrupt is considered an anomaly.
So a meaningful war against corruption must start against those in high offices.
Same thing with patriotism. Make any unpatriotic act of officials a crime. Corruption is a very unpatriotic act. The suspects in this regard must be relentlessly hunted and prosecuted. Without sending high officials to jail for corruption, any effort to stop this scourge of this country will be like a sick joke..
South Korea had already jailed several of their presidents. How about the Philippines? May be after several thousand years.**