Cheap charade

By Artchil B. Fernandez

 

The weekly night show of Du30 was launched when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. Its purpose is to give the nation updates on the pandemic and government action to deal with it. Early on, the show degenerated into a display of Du30’s hidden talent (rapping or more accurately ranting) and lately a venue for venting his ire and heartaches.

This week is no different with Du30 returning to his favorite topic rant – corruption. In the past weeks, he lamented the gravity and depth of corruption in government which he ironically heads. To address the worsening corruption in his administration, Du30 ordered the Department of Justice (DoJ) to create a special panel whose sole task is to investigate the problem and charge those involved in it.

Du30 admitted this week that he received the names of twelve members of the Lower House who are involved in corruption. The names were submitted to him by the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC).

Based on its investigation, the PACC reported that twelve congressmen are receiving kickbacks from government public work projects in their districts (is this still news?).  PACC Commissioner Greco Belgica publicly alleged that these members of Congress each receive ten million payola. This was reported to him by a contractor. “May isang proyekto na P100 million. Hinihingan daw siya. Hindi daw siya papasukin sa distrito na ‘yun pagka hindi siya nakipag-ayos,” he said. Belgica further alleged that on average members of the Lower House are pocketing 5 to 15 percent of the budget of government infrastructure projects.

On the whole, Belgica claimed that government projects are either substandard or incomplete due to corruption. He said that half or fifty percent of the fund goes to the pockets of corrupt officials.

Upon receiving the list Du30 immediately confessed he is helpless in this case. “Alam mo, let’s go to political law. I have no business investigating congressmen. They belong to a separate organ of government which is co-equal with the president pati ang Supreme Court,” Duterte explained. He said will simply give their names to the Office of the Ombudsman.

Du30 even refused to do what he habitually does to people he perceived to be “bad,” publicly shame them. He did this to people he suspected involved in illegal drugs, producing a list and read their names in public. “I cannot investigate congressmen. It will be an encroachment of the separation of powers. Hindi ako puwede (I cannot investigate them), he said. “If I cannot investigate the congressmen, then I have no authority to be releasing their names that they are involved per investigation by the PACC.”

It is incredible that Du30 suddenly remembers Pol Sci 101, separation of power. It was less than a month ago that Du30 was an active participant in the change of leadership in the House of Representatives. Three years back, Du30 brokered a term sharing between contenders for House Speakership.

Term-sharing arrangement for House Speakership between Alan Peter Cayetano and Lord Allan Velasco was the brainchild of Du30. When the agreement was in danger of being scuttled, Du30 had to intervene to save face. This is an outright encroachment of the Executive into the affairs of the supposed to be a co-equal and independent branch of government. Du30 was shameless in violating the principle of separation of power.

Now that some members of Congress are accused of being involved in corruption, Du30 is invoking separation of power as an excuse not to investigate them. This is hypocrisy of the highest degree. Du30 only becomes principled when it is convenient for him to do so and would not have any qualm trashing principle when it suits his interest. The supreme hypocrisy of Du30 is not lost to Sen. Panfilo Lacson. He correctly pointed out why Sen. Leila de Lima was treated differently from the 12 congressmen. They are all members of Congress. In the case of De Lima, Lacson reminded Du30 that it is the DoJ that is actively prosecuting her. Why is the Executive hands-off in the case of the 12 congressmen while the full force of the Executive is deployed to investigate and prosecute Sen. De Lima?

The double-standard and lack of principle of Du30 is plainly clear and evident in the case of the twelve congressmen and that Sen. Leila de Lima. Despite his rage against corruption Du30 is not only lukewarm but even disinterested to use the resources of his office to look into the allegations of his own PACC against the 12 congressmen. He also refused to reveal their names to protect them from shame. In the case of Sen. Leila de Lima, Du30 made her prosecution a top priority and on many occasions publicly shamed her, even digging gossips on her personal life.

Is Du30 really against corruption? Is he serious about stamping out, eradicating, or even reducing corruption in his administration? Du30’s actions, body language and non-verbal communication suggest he is not serious about fighting corruption.

The regular rage and rant of Du30 against corruption in his evening show is nothing but a cheap charade. Du30 is merely putting on a show that he against corruption to assuage public outrage on the pandemic of corruption ravaging his administration. In reality, Du30 is not interested in stamping out corruption in government. He is even nurturing and cultivating corruption in his administration with his fake and farcical crusade against its scourge. His officials know their boss’ campaign against corruption is phony hence it is business as usual for them, which is, robbing the national treasury and stealing people’s money.