Recent events made my blood boiled. Angelo Reyes surprised suicide and Hosni Mubarak forced resignation as President of Egypt. You will notice that I did not write a title on both of them. That is because, personally, they do not deserve the title and trust that the citizenry gave them.
Both Reyes and Mubarak's, although world apart, downfall was avarice. It is a shame that both man worked so hard to get to the title / position they wanted and go down in history infamously.
Reyes, who held several high ranking positions in government, was identified as one of the many generals and high ranking military officers who received several millions of AFP-PNP fund money as "pabaon". Reyes, cowardly, elected suicide than to clear his name in front of the Philippine Senate.
Mubarak, ruled Egypt for about three decades. Years of misery led the citizenry to call for his resignation. Mubarak took his sweet time to decide if he should relinquish but it was actually giving himself time to secure the billions of US dollars he was able to accumulate by less honest means. It was estimated to be 40 to 70 billion and with that amount there will be a country that will grant him safety just like most of the dictators in history.
My wife described me as very judgmental and told me that it was so easy for me to say because it is not actually happening to me. I answered, "Yes I am judgmental and yes it is easy for me to say "no" if it is happening in front of me". My rationale is that corruption is something that I will not get myself involved in and even if offered to me by influential people, it is not going to happen simply because it is not the right thing to do. Further, I truly believe that bad things happen to bad people as evident with what has just happened to both Reyes and Mubarak.
Reyes said "I did not invent corruption, I just walked into it". He even stated that corruption was happening in the Armed Forces even when he was still a lieutenant. True that corruption in the Philippines has been going on since many generations ago. Reyes was alert enough to know that there was depravity in the military during his early years of service. True that many have resigned to the fact that corruption is a way of life in the country. My argument is that Reyes who eventually became the Secretary of Defense and was the Chief of the AFP at one time, knew that immorality was a problem in the military, then why he did not solve the problem but instead was a part of it.
For a person that talked about honor, integrity and all these positive adjectives, he did not have the conviction and was a terrible example for his family, friends and peers. He even made matters worse by self murder than telling and facing the truth. What part of "the truth will set you free" he did not understand? What a self-concerned individual he was, leaving his family with all the troubles and shame. He might not have received the "pabaon" but he is guilty of corruption too for allowing it to happen during his watch, vicarious liability so to speak.
Mubarak chose cupidity than making good of a promise to serve the citizenry of Egypt. He, for three decades, helped himself in emptying the government funds that was supposed to be spent for the welfare of the people that trusted and believed in him. It is extremely disturbing in how a person could live a life of abundance and see others not having anything at all. It is difficult to understand how can an individual see others suffer because of his avidity for money and power.
It is even more disturbing and difficult to comprehend how people witnessing and have inside knowledge of the immorality to just looked the other way and even accept corruption. I know the answers to these are "partners in crime" and "there is no sense of fighting it because that is how it is, a part of society and life in the country we live in". I truly believe that these answers are nothing but a bunch of nonsense and it came from the weak, hopeless and criminal-minded.
As individuals, we know what is right and wrong. We support what is good and right, opposed what is bad and wrong. As individuals, we are proud of who we are and dream of a good life for our family by honest means. What went wrong, why deviate? It might sound too old fashion but there is nothing wrong and old fashion about living a clean, honest and righteous life.
We as individuals must not be a contributor in the depravities around us. There is no reason why we should submit to the demands of a crooked and nefarious government agency and its' representatives. These government employees, from the top to the bottom, from the department heads down to the custodians, are paid to do a job by the taxpayers, then why do they have to demand for payments on the side or under the table? Tell me, do you demand or get extra pay every time you do your job? We must fearlessly oppose any wrongdoing and report the devious deed, do not easily give up when reported to deft ears and be relentless because not all in government are immoral. Let us take it a step forward at a time.
In closing let me remind you that: 1) corruption takes away the services, benefits, supplies and other goods that are intended for the citizenry, 2) good things happen to good people and 3) at the end of everything, we have to face the JUDGE up there, answer all HIS questions and even clear ourselves of what the devil might falsely accuse you of.
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