Only list of grocery items

By Alex P. Vidal

“Sincerity is the way to heaven.” – Mencius

THOSE to be charged by the Office of the Ombudsman in relation to the flood control project mess that “will not spend Christmas 2025” with their families as announced recently by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. should include senators, congresspeople, DPWH bigwigs, among other prominent corrupt politicians and their minions.

Or else, the reported 37 individuals will be like only items in a grocery list.

We need a decisive action; earthshaking and well-grounded cases that will send shivers down the spine.

We need a big bang in order not to further infuriate the impatient Filipinos who think they are only being taken for a ride since the president exposed the multi-billion pesos anomaly in his State of the Nation Address (Sona) in September this year, but nobody has landed in the calaboose yet.

In order to convince the taxpayers that the Marcos Jr. administration is serious in its campaign against massive graft and corruption, the initial list of names to be charged and arrested before or after Christmas 2025 with no bail recommended must include the likes of  Joel Villanueva, Chiz Escudero, Jinggoy Estrada, Bong Revilla Jr., Martin Romualdez, Zaldy Co, and all other showbiz and non-showbiz celebrity solons with “blood on their hands.”

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There should be no more beatings around the bush. The government must call spade a spade. No more ifs and buts. No more dilly-dallying.

If the Marcos Jr. administration hesitates and dithers, it’s better not to announce anything that will only serve to deodorize the Marcos Jr. administration but without substance and determination to run after the rascals and plunderers.

Many sectors in society are already casting doubts on the sincerity of the president, especially when Mr. Marcos Jr. appeared to be not hell-bent to throw the books on his cousin, the former House speaker Romualdez.

He must prove them wrong by unveiling the most bombastic and lethal plunder cases against the thieves and criminals in government the country has ever seen, and include individuals closed to his heart but who betrayed the people’s trust and confidence and stole their money by the billions.

It’s now or never. After the initial cases have been filed, they must be powerful, and the message should be thunderous that will convince every Tom, Dick, and Harry Mr. Marcos Jr. really means business and is not politicking.

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I received a warning from Apple reminding me that “scammers are getting smarter.”

“Learn how to protect yourself from fraud and make the most of Apple Card’s security features,” Apple said in an email.

Apple exhorted me to “end the conversation immediately” if I recognize the following red flags:

-Unsolicited contact about your account. Be cautious of

unsolicited calls or text conversations and look out for unusual, poorly worded, or unexpected emails.

-Urgent warnings. Scammers create a false sense of emergency asking you to act immediately or face consequences.

-Gift card requests. An Apple Card Specialist will never ask you to buy gift cards.

-Social media requests. Be careful who you are interacting or sharing personal information with on social media.

-One-time passcode requests. An Apple Card Specialist will never initiate contact to ask for a one-time passcode.

-Third-party app downloads. An Apple Card Specialist will never ask you to download third-party apps to your device.

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It also asked me to “protect yourself in 3 steps.”

-Turn on transaction notifications. When you turn on transaction notifications, you get an alert every time your card is used, so you can catch suspicious activity.

-Go to Apple Card in Wallet, tap the More button More button, then tap Notifications and turn on Transactions.

-Enable Advanced Fraud Protection. Your three-digit security code changes automatically for even more secure purchases.

-Go to Apple Card in Wallet, tap the card number button More button then scroll down to Advanced Fraud Protection and turn it on. Use Advanced Fraud Protection with Apple Card.

-Report suspicious messages. If you receive a text message about your Apple Card that feels suspicious, don’t respond or tap on any “links.

To report spam or other suspicious messages that you receive through Messages, tap Report Spam under the message.” Apple concluded.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)