“And there were flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder, and a great earthquake the likes of which had not occurred since men were upon the earth— so mighty was the great quake. “ Revelation 16-18
The heavens have shaken, the kingdoms have crumbled, so bad the kings of the earth and their cohorts are now trying to scamper in different directions, their pride doomed and their houses crumbling like a deck of cards.
President Marcos’ revelation was the beginning, Senator Ping Lacson’s disclosure was damning, but the admission of flood control project royalties Curlee and Sarah Discaya, and their subsequent identification of those behind this great scam, finally opened up the can of worms, its stench so strong even the monsters connected to it vomited just with the sight of it.
The revelations of the Discaya’s have not even reached their crescendo when those who were named as corruptors and accomplishes started coming out with their morally upright statements, swearing to the high heavens that their hearts are pure and chaste, and threatening to prosecute the couple for besmirching their unblemished reputations.
One of the wives even came out on social media, swearing that her husband is faultless, spotless, and angelic, and is not capable of any wrongdoing.
But Satan was indignant. He saw everything, he knew everything, and he had already prepared rooms in hell for his prospective minions.
The Discayas’ confession was not shocking. The Filipino people knew all along that it was just a matter of someone coming out in the open and affirming and identifying the culprits who made a mockery of our laws and enriched themselves in office at the expense of public funds.
The nine-page affidavit was a confirmation of what we knew all along, that the system is rotten, and that the extent of corruption was so extensive that even Satan would scorn the comparison.
There were old names like the Co’s and the Ang’s, but there were also new names whose disrepute and ignominy were hidden from the public eyes and are now being revealed at the most appropriate time.
The names of the Speaker of the House, a couple of undersecretaries, party-list representatives, and other high-ranking officials who were being dragged into the scandal were repulsive enough that we ordinary mortals are now confused about whom to trust.
And then there were senators, too, whose acts of defiance and denial are only aggravated by their lies and prevarications.
There was even the father of a sophomore lawmaker who allegedly collects his share for any project entered into by his son. Wow ha…
And still, there were the names of countless Department of Works and Highways (DPWH) officials and engineers whose lifestyles were comparable to kings and queens, and whose penchant for luxurious items was beyond imagination.
Ever heard about the story of an employee earning a P70K salary who owns a Lamborghini and is capable of losing 14 million in a casino overnight without batting an eyelash?
Pukaw namo! Kanus-a ta momata?
No wonder the President, who is usually calm and composed, is seething in anger and wants the heads of these scoundrels wrapped in a brown envelope and thrown to kingdom come.
“Yung dinadaanang hirap, yung dinadanas ng ating mga kababayan, we have to know who is responsible for their suffering. Somebody has to answer for their suffering,” the President said in a recent interview.
Asked what if his political allies were responsible for the misdeeds, he said, “Sorry na lang, hindi na kita kaalyado kung ganyan ang ginagawa mo. Ayaw na kitang kaalyado!”
With this statement, PBBM implies that charges will be filed and no stones will be left unturned. The appointment of former DOTR secretary Vince Hizon to DPWH is an implication that war is at hand, and the soldiers of doom are about to be exterminated.
As for me, I have always adhered to the idea that the death penalty is a violation of fundamental human rights and dignity, and it is an ineffective crime deterrent.
But I am making an exception to this case, knowing fully well that our justice system is flawed and that corruption is not going anywhere unless and until some drastic measures are laid out on the table.
If our lawmakers are really true to their desire to rid corruption and weed out their ranks of unscrupulous individuals, then maybe it’s about time we pass a law that punishes death to corrupt officials and government workers.
This is not totally unheard of. China, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, Iran, Vietnam, Pakistan, and Indonesia, among others, have been carrying out this law for years.
There had been a lot of debates regarding the viability of applying the death penalty for high crimes, including plunder and economic sabotage, in our country.
The acts of the Discayas and their equally “unholy” lawmakers and government officials can easily pass the grade. But who is the lawmaker who is going to introduce such a bill in Congress?
In short, who will tie the bell?