The issues are beginning to surface

This early the constituencies are already feasted with issues which otherwise will be kept from public awareness. The first blast came from the camp of Angeles City mayoral candidate Alex Caugiran. A bombshell if you may want to call it. It is the expose of a more than P1 billion loan for the construction of a sports complex. Definitely it will make a dent to the good image of Mayor Ed Pamintuan, the former political ally of Caugiran . The constituents are asking what is the role of Pamintuan’s handpicked candidate, Vice Mayor Bryan Nepomuceno in this issue? Since he will suffer somehow the collateral damage. Of course, as head of the council he cannot escape responsibility together with members of the council who voted in favor of the loan. I suppose Nepomuceno and the members who favored the loan have their own explanations. Maybe in my next article I will give the opportunity to each one to explain their sides. I promise to print them.

I always maintain that the game of politics has always been the struggle of those who are outside looking in and wanting to have one’s place, and for those who are already in are fighting to remain in their offices. If they are no longer eligible to run they field their wives or other family members. Up to now many people are asking what’s in a political office that candidates spend millions and millions of pesos just to get elected. The frequent response is that they love public service, never anybody will respond saying ‘I am after wealth and power’.

Predictably, one who is engaged in a discussion with a politician will remain polite but with strong doubts in mind. In this country, persons pursuing public office will be swallowed by the institutionalize corruption once elected.

And if you are one of those who was told by a politician that he was never tainted by corruption and you believe him or her, then you’re one of the suckers being born every minute. And if you don’t believe him or her, then the denial is an assault on your intelligence. It is because if you fail to see the corruption, you are one of those who is unconcerned. The unlawful Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) for one is an undeniable one hell of a corrupt move. Despite President Duterte’s fight against corruption it’s still there. Just ask Senator Ping Lacson.

If you wish to recall, then Budget Secretary Florencio ‘Butch’ Abad was the one who invented DAP and distributed as a largesse to senators and congressmen to impeach and convict Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona for some mistakes in his Statement of Assets and Liabilities (SALN).

Furthermore, the available information dished out by mainstream and social media detail specific information about the purchase by the previous administration of second helicopters, controversy over the cash conditional transfer (CCT), the alleged overpricing on infra projects and missing donations for Yolanda victims etc. etc.

Because of the forthcoming elections, I still maintain that all issues should be brought to open. It’s a good thing that heads of candidates should be on the chopping board.

Crime syndicates are not running short of creative ways aside from the art of bribery and threats. In retrospect, it is correct for President Duterte to place BOC under military supervision, although not as a permanent solution.

Reforms in the Bureau of Internal Revenue have been instituted. A number of administrative functions had been devolved to the regional offices making it easier for taxpayers to deal with the BIR this time with even less personal contacts. This should have been fast-tracked in BOC too. Paperless transactions meant less personal contacts and the possibility of “under-the-table” negotiations will be cur bed.

But the good measure of success in how addressing corruption in BOC and BIR for example is their revenue collection performance. We could give an “A” to these agencies for they delivered what is demanded from their core functions. In the case of the DPWH, we measure there in terms of quality of work and speed. Let’s face it. When the Aquino administration exited, it left too many uncompleted projects. The skyways towards NAIA were heaps of concrete slabs, non-moving equipment and a handful of idle workers. It seems as if it will take eternity to finish the job. When Duterte government took over, suddenly machineries started humming and soon the projects took shape.

Corruption is being addressed and among the first victims are people associated with Duterte. Problem is that there are predators who are out to shake the foundation of the Duterte government. The President himself is a prime target of continued assault coming from some segments from the religious sectors, the Commission of Human Rights who perpetuate the farcical tale about the Davao Death Squads and the blown-up number of victims of extra-judicial killings and the grand coalition of political opposition and the CPP/ NPA/ NDF in ousting Duterte.

Have we become so politically insane that even an off-the-cuff remark of actor Aga Mullach (suggesting that opposition like Antonio Trillanes just support the administration instead) was taken down from the Magandang Gabi Vice episode as though it is more offensive than the gory killings in the never-ending episode of “Probinsyano” on prime time.— Jun Ledesma