“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)
The sight of a protesting, cause-oriented group outside a posh property in Pasig City on Thursday morning reflected the collective emotion of a people who had endured hardship and debauchery for so long.
The members of the environmental group Kalikasan stormed the St. Gerrard Construction office owned by the Discaya family, hurling mud and spray-painting the gate and walls with the words “Magnanakaw” and “Korap.
Ordinarily, we smirk at the sight of vandals defacing someone else’s property, swearing to high heavens that if these ruffians dare to bring their rumpus within the bounds of our possessions, then pandemonium will surely break loose.
But these are not ordinary times, and the Discaya’s and their likes are not ordinary people. These are greedy monsters sucking the blood of a nation, barely trying to hang on during tough times.
These are scoundrels bleeding the coffers of the nation dry while they and their families wallowed in riches that they themselves can’t devour lest they drown in their own barf.
Ordinarily, we would leer mischievously, then silently utter “Buti nga,” and go our own way.
But these rascals were the reason for the misery of our people and the looters of billions of pesos of public funds that could have made a difference in the development of our country.
These greedy contractors, and yes, their equally rapacious senators and congressmen who make it possible for them to tinker with our public funds, should feel the indifference and anger of the masses.
However, let us not descend into chaos and disorder. Any civil strife resulting from the investigation of this plunder will be counterproductive to all the effort of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to clean the house and purge all the demons that dwell in it.
The current situation in Indonesia, where thousands of violent rioters are targeting the rich and powerful, is a nightmare. We don’t need any of those things here.
However, we have had enough of these corruptions. When is this going to end? Where does this stop? And who’s going to pay for all these iniquities?
In a system that is so rotten that the influential wrongdoers are getting scot-free while the poor are languishing in jail, I guess true and honest justice should prevail.
I knew a man who was incarcerated for more than a year for stealing a can of sardines, having no money to bail himself out, and not knowing his rights as an accused.
And I know a very popular man who spent years in jail after being convicted, but was pardoned and even allowed to run for a higher office because he knew the right people and knew the right buttons to push. Now he is a senator.
And the man who supposedly stole a can of sardines? I heard he died during the war on drugs. Such is the fortune of poor, uninfluential people.
Let’s call a spade a spade! Justice in our country is supposedly impartial and unprejudiced. If you have money and influence, then more often than not, you get off the hook. If you have nothing, then maybe at least you should have a prayer in your pocket.
I saw Senator Jinggoy Estrada on TV grilling Sarah Discaya during the Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, and boy, was he eloquent and unrelenting. He sure has that fire against corrupt contractors and their cohorts at the Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH).
Wow, what a way to dress down a supposed corrupt malefactor. I could only shrink on my sofa and thank God I was not a Discaya.
Then I suddenly remembered, isn’t Senator Jinggoy convicted of direct and indirect bribery? Well, I guess that case is on appeal because he was allowed to run for public office, but boy, isn’t it ironic?
The same is true in the House of Representatives. Several congressmen, and even women, are scampering and dodging “bullets” lest they be hit with the sweeping allegations that most of them are involved, one way or another, in the flood control project scams.
Last time I heard, they were debating whether to summon their colleagues to shed light on their involvement in the matter.
Well, isn’t it ironic?
