GOTCHA, Published in the Philippine Star, Friday, February 15, 2008
This Tuesday e-mail, with the subject “From a young reader, po, katanungan lang”, reflects the hopelessness of our times:
“Dear Mr. J.B.,
“Greetings! My name is Jude; I’m 23, a small-town kid in
“I would like to commend you for the courage and the steadfastness you exemplified when you exposed this ZTE crap. Though many may contend that what you did is just like any other journalist’s job, I think you had iron in your heart to bang away at the Big Boys (and the small girl) of Malacañang. In these trying times, when most people can easily be swayed by threats or bribes, very few would take on investigative journalism at the expense of their safety and their lives. I salute you for proving that honest journalism to inform the public still blazes in the hearts of a few journalists. ‘Ika nga, endangered specie na kayo (same with honest officials in the executive or the judiciary or the military).
“On the other hand, Sir, I don’t want to sound cynical about this matter. But history has proven that none of these will ever bear fruit. The Ombudsman is as spineless as boneless bangus, the judiciary (allegedly even the Supreme Court) has a price, the military is the most notorious gangster, the Catholic Church has already lost much of its influence, and the opposition in both Houses has been reduced to a nagging housewife. It seems everything is lost. People are tired of the administration’s thievery, but are also tired of the EDSA stuff. Walang pupuntahan ang imbestigasyon na ito kasi puro galamay ni GMA ang nagru-rule sa bayan — sadly, hopelessly.
“It may sound very naive, kind Sir, but I just want to ask: Why did you even bother?”
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If Jude’s sentiment is prevalent among the youth, it’s because the institutions that he listed down have failed them.
The Ombudsman was swamped in Sept.-Oct. with seven graft cases about the ZTE scam. Only next week, in the wake of Jun Lozada’s damning testimony at the Senate, will it hold public hearings to determine probable cause against the respondents. Perhaps it has to do with the names of those implicated: Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, husband Mike, Benjamin Abalos, Leandro Mendoza, Elmer Soñeja, Lorenzo Formoso, Jimmy Paz, Quirino dela Torre, Ruben Reyes, Leo San Miguel, Romy Neri, Yu Yong and Fan Yang. It would be more ludicrous if the Ombudsman ends up indicting only Joe de Venecia and whistleblower-son Joey.
Meanwhile, the NBI and Dept. of Justice, headed by Arroyo picks, are too quick to gather evidence against Lozada. And there’s the Solicitor General joining the brawl and filing perjury charges against his relatives who had petitioned for habeas corpus and amparo.
(There’s this theory that had the Ombudsman acted swiftly on the seven cases, the Senate would have no excuse today to go on probing the ZTE scam — and the admin would not be so hard-pressed for alibis. The counter-theory is that had the Ombudsman acted on the cases, and then delayed the hearings, Lozada wouldn’t have come out because things would have been under control. But then, God works in wondrous ways.)
Meanwhile, too, the police will also sue Lozada for perjury in accusing them of kidnapping. At the same time, superiors are hiding “active agent” Rodolfo Valeroso, who allegedly had snatched Lozada at the airport to be kept from the Senate. And then there’s the airport logbook showing that it was a soldier from the Presidential Security Group who actually picked up Lozada and loaded him into a white Toyota Altis.
Meanwhile further, more and more bishops are coming out with their own interpretations of what is supposed to be their common call for “communal action” against corruption. The preponderant opinion seems to be to do nothing about it, lest their secret Malacañang dinners capped with doles of white envelopes end abruptly.
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