Imprisonment and restitution

By Michael Henry Yusingco, LL.M

Filipinos must bear in mind that corruption is a crime. Therefore, its perpetuators are criminals. The phrase, “dapat humihimas sila ng rehas”, comes to mind. They must suffer the indignity of being in handcuffs and having their mugshots taken. Many politicians have gone through these very legal rituals before and have come out of it as free individuals. For the sake of our collective sanity, this farce must end now.

Imprisonment and restitution must remain the primary objectives when it comes to dealing with corruption, be it relating to pork barrel or the misappropriation of confidential funds. And it is the Office of the Ombudsman alone who can deliver to the people this much desired prize. Filipinos should be happy only when the corrupt are “weeping and wailing” and “gnashing their teeth” on their way to their prison cells.

Hence, symbolic convictions are not enough. And no selective prosecutions that are designed just to appease public anger. All the main conspirators must be held to account: lawmakers and public officials who authorized the schemes, contractors who executed them, facilitators inside the bureaucracy who processed and protected them. Middlemen. Bagmen. Fixers. Even beneficiaries who knowingly profited from stolen public funds.

Asset recovery is equally non-negotiable. Justice that does not return stolen money to public coffers is incomplete. Without the billions of plundered public funds restored to the national treasury, prosecution becomes a mere moral triumph. Imprisonment AND restitution are the expected outcomes, nothing less. If the convicted public officials and their families are to be bled dry, then so be it. No mercy for the corrupt!

Accordingly, the Office of the Ombudsman now deserves the public’s whole and undivided attention. But not as an arena for grandstanding, but as a site of surgical accountability. This constitutional office should now be akin to a hospital operating theater, whereby civil society is able to closely and methodically observe investigators and prosecutors perform their constitutional duties.

Transparency can help—but only if it is disciplined. Livestreamed proceedings, public access to pleadings, and disclosed timelines can deter interference and public fatigue. Journalists and other stakeholders must ensure that the cases are developed carefully, insulated from political pressure, and pursued with institutional patience. The dismissal of these cases for “insufficiency of evidence” must be avoided at all costs.

Therefore, watchdog groups must do the tedious work of monitoring cases, tracking delays, and calling out procedural sabotage. They must resist being folded into factional narratives. The standard should be blunt: does this action move us closer to convictions and recovery, or does it merely help someone’s electoral prospects?

In this regard, legacy media must also do its part helping the public focus on the Office of the Ombudsman. Any issue or concern about corruption investigations and prosecutions should be directly fielded to Ombudsman Boying Remulla and his team. Politicos will try to get themselves inserted here just for headlines. The press should protect the information ecosystem from spoilers and attention-seekers by not giving them airtime.

Impeachment may feel satisfying. It offers catharsis in a system that feels rigged. But catharsis by itself does not change incentives. It does not weaken dynasties. It does not prevent the next administration from playing the same game. If we are serious about ending corruption, we should stop confusing noise with progress. Impeachment may expose the rot, but it does not cure it.

Persuasion specialist, Alan German, mentioned in an episode of the Fact First podcast that President Bongbong Marcos may have blurted the “Mihaya naman kayo!” exhortation in his 4^th SONA merely as narrative hook. This expert view makes it incumbent on civil society to increase pressure on the Office of the Ombudsman to go after the masterminds of the various corruption schemes with more urgency and vigour. Waiting for Malacañang to do its part to net the big fish is more than likely just a dead-end.