FIGHT IT OR PERISH (3)

Arrest order sought vs Bolante runner

MANILA, Philippines—The House Committee on Agriculture Tuesday resumed taking its turn at questioning Jocelyn “Joc-joc” Bolante, and said he might have violated the budget department’s rules when he realigned part of the P728-million fertilizer fund to officials who were not on the list of beneficiaries that he had earlier submitted….

In Iloilo City, Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo expressed dismay over the inquiry into the purported diversion of the P728-million fertilizer fund to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s campaign supporters.

“I can sense the feeling of many people—one of disappointment that the truth did not come out as expected,” Lagdameo told the Philippine Daily Inquirer on the sidelines of a forum on corruption and governance…Last month, Lagdameo and several other bishops issued a statement on the alleged worsening graft and corruption in government, which, they said, was “the biggest culprit and major cause of our nation’s poverty and hunger.”

Tuesday, Lagdameo said government employees and officials should be reminded to be honest.

“I’m appealing to all responsible people to be true in their service of the government, to put uppermost the good of the country,” he said.

Lagdameo said that if graft and corruption could be cut by just one-half, “there will be more people fed and more students entering college.”
/
Note: I just highlighted parts of Bishop Lagdameo’s statement above, there is no need to emphasize and explain further.

Consider:

Why P728-M fertilizer fund was a scam

CoA finds P173-M "excess amount" in fertilizer fund

The 728M scandal is far from being an isolated case, to put it mildly. Like the many corruption cases before it, the investigation appears to be headed to the usual oblivion where some initial noises are made, no satisfactory conclusions are reached, the major players remain scotfree, and all is forgotten.

According to this, the challenges to national development in the Philippines are graft and corruption, which are manifest in many various forms including bribery, kickbacks, embezzlement, vote buying, cronyism, and nepotism… the magnitude of the problem, is staggering.

Meanwhile, pro-administration legislators are busy gathering signatures, pushing for a charter change that will eventually prolong the terms of office of those in power. Meanwhile also, many of them are pushing for the immediate passage of HB 5043, the touted piece of legislation that is supposed to "help" this country out of poverty.

God help us.