Fight Against Corruption

This article was written sometime ago by Fr. Carmelo Diola who continually inspires me to continue the fight against the corruption that is prevalent in my beloved city of Lapu-lapu. I wish to share this to the readers especially to my fellow Oponganons.

At Last?

When news of some progress in two high-profile graft and corruption cases, i.e. the ASEAN Lamppost Scam and the Pseudoephedrine Case came out, concerned citizens and groups heaved some sigh of relief. For some time now, a cloud of uncertainty and discouragement hangs over the heads of many concerned Filipinos. When will the wheels of justice turn? Is it possible for the law to be broken with no lawbreakers?

A public manifesto, dated 18 February 2008 and eventually signed by 30 thousand Cebuanos in the Archdiocese of Cebu, captures the spirit: “Cebuanos, in solidarity with all concerned Filipinos, are disgusted at the rampant and systematic corruption that is eating away at our country…Our political landscape is littered with large scale, unresolved graft cases.” The manifesto then mentioned examples of such cases in the national and local levels. The latter included the overpriced ASEAN lampposts, the Girl Scout scam, the Pseudoephedrine and Shabu Laboratory cases, vigilante killings, overpriced computers, rampant car smuggling, etc.

Concerted vigilance, soaked with prayers, yields fruits. Progress in these two cases is the result of work of whistleblowers, legwork by government workers, follow-up efforts, manifestos, public disgust, responsible media, and prayers. What was missing was political will. Are we seeing it now?

We commend our public servants for their efforts. Yet, in many ways, we have only just begun. Those who have knowledge or leads concerning higher-ups who may have instigated the lamppost scam should speak out. Command responsibility at the local and national levels should be insisted upon. People must be wary about signing documents without looking at their implications. Those who are handling the cases should do so with fairness, courage, and dispatch.

People should continue to be vigilant. Final resolution is still a long way off and the human heart is capable of so much mischief. We need to reclaim our souls and our moral bearings as we reclaim the earth.

As the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace puts it in an October 2006 document entitled, The Fight Against Corruption, there is need “to think of the fight against corruption as a value, and also as a need; that corruption is an evil, and that it also involves a great price; that rejecting corruption is a good, and also an advantage; that abandoning corrupt practices can lead to development and well-being; that behavior marked by honesty is to be encouraged and behavior marked by dishonesty is to be punished. In the fight against corruption it is very important that responsibility for illicit acts be exposed, that the guilty be punished with reparative measures aimed at restoring socially responsible behavior.”

Need we say more?

Fr. Carmelo O. Diola

Overall Coordinating Steward

Dilaab Foundation Inc./Barug Pilipino advocacy