‘Walang forever’
Most of us paid very little attention to the alleged P50-million attempt to bribe the Secretary of Justice. First, because it happened on a “Ber” month when many of us are preoccupied or distracted with Christmas plans and obligations. Second, the presentation or reporting of facts came in piecemeal that most of us did not get all the details much less the whole story. Last but not the least, many found it unbelievable or simply could not believe that such an attempt would be made especially under the cloud of fear created by the iron fist tactics of President Rodrigo Duterte.
But now a lot of people have very serious concerns about what really went down. I would be the last to suspect or accuse DOJ Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre of plausible wrong doing or corruption, but as one of my spiritual mentors love to ask: “What were you thinking!” One’s presence at the scene already puts you on the list of possible suspects. Not reporting the crime or making an arrest as an officer of the court puts you in jeopardy. What was Secretary Aguirre thinking when he agreed
to sit or was it to meet with Mr. Jack Lam and his “Abogado de Areglo” (Not the legitimate lawyers). Aguirre claims that for convenience, he timed it during a fraternity reunion, at a very public place, he listened and left after the “Abogado de Areglo” made his pitch. Secretary Aguirre obviously knew who and what Jack Lam was all about. As such, the only place to discuss matters would be at the Secretary’s office at the Department of Justice and no other.
A doctor will not ask his patient to undress in public to conduct an examination. In fact many doctors hate it when people casually “consult and ask them for medical advise at a party or a very public place. So should the DOJ Secretary meet in public with someone suspected or accused of tax evasion, violating immigration laws as well as labor laws? Secretary Aguirre was so nonchalant about the whole matter failing to appreciate that he slipped up on several points.
If Jack Lam had a tale to tell or an offer to make, Secretary Aguirre should have required Lam to put it all in writing to make the communication formal and of record. If Lam neither spoke nor read Tagalog or English, he could have easily brought one of the many sexy GROs from the Casino who regularly speak with and entertain people from all parts of the world. In like manner, the DOJ could have arranged for one to translate for Mr. Lam and Secretary Aguirre. Finally, if Lam’s representative actually said it or insinuated “if the Secretary could be Ninong a.k.a protector,” then Secretary Aguirre should have had the guy arrested and not stood up and leave “hanging instructions” for his people to deal with the matter. The fact that Secretary Aguirre did not slap the guy or have him arrested for attempting to corrupt a government official set the tone. If the Boss did not get pissed off, then everything becomes subject to interpretation.
In fact, I am shocked that after allegedly violating immigration and labor laws, after not paying millions of pesos in taxes, no less than President Duterte was quoted by the DOJ Secretary saying: If Lam pays all his arrears and promises to obey all laws, he is welcome to return to do business. I believe in the forgiveness of sins but how come a guy like Lam gets a “keep out of jail” card while Filipinos who fail to pay taxes, can’t cover real estate taxes, or get involved in drugs go to jail, lose their property through public auction or end up for public viewing for “fighting back”?
We cannot have different interpretations of the law based on capacity to pay, campaign contribution or volume of investment. As far as Jack Lam and the alleged multi-million bribe attempt is concerned; A Big Fish, A Big example either got away or slipped through the gentle hands of Justice. The DOJ lost millions of points in terms of credibility and RESPECT. That costs a lot more than 50 million inflated pesos.
* * * We have become so politically correct that no one in this country has talked about population control seriously. Government agencies simply go below the radar and carry on with programs to curb population growth. What’s scary is other agencies such as the MMDA have designed programs to accommodate the population explosion via “expansion” or preparing for what we know as Metro Manila, to expand wider and wider through the coming years.
Right now, the boundary marker I see on the SLEX says Metro Manila ends at Susana Heights. But according to a recent presentation, it will eventually suck in Calamba, and part of Batangas and Bulacan. In five years people who’ve made plans to retire in places such as Bulacan, Batangas or the Calabarzon will simply have to brace themselves for the “expansion” and people invasion coming from the Metro. In fact, we “Probinsyanos” already feel it and experience it along with home delivery for pizzas, tacos and chicken meals. But it won’t stop there. We already see dozens of mass housing projects popping up everywhere from Bulacan to Batangas.
The problem is government can only do so much, build so much and sooner or later the population growth will outpace the abilities of government to build and provide. Whether we like it or not, we will have to address the problem of population explosion especially among the poor who don’t have the means to properly care for and support multiple children. CCT or doleouts are not sustainable.
Last but not the least, the intentional Urbanization of what has long been provincial or agricultural settings will amount to nothing less than a serious environmental disaster and threat to our agricultural sector and food security. We can’t keep stretching the boundaries and resources because they are not infinite especially water. As they say: Walang Forever. We need to deal with the population explosion before we implode.
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