Institutionalized Corruption & Witless Protection

Gloria “serious” in fighting corruption according to her interview with Joe Taruc, quoted by Neal Cruz in his column As I See It at Inquirer. Cruz posed a question on La Gloria’s seriousness which Pedestrian Observer GB has also been asking if indeed she was serious, she really need not look any further…. First Goon errrr Full of Greed yikes I meant the First Gentleman has a lot of explaining to do why his name kept on popping up like a canker sore. While we can't expect her to prosecute herself thanks and no thanks to her presidential immunity, she could at least form an independent body preferably through the UN or any entity outside the country having no interest, ties or beholden to any vested interest and political groups in the country, here is a quote from Neal Cruz’s article:

Instead of encouraging witnesses to expose corruption like what Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr. is doing, she has ordered her minions to harass and intimidate them. Government agents raid their offices to look for dirt to be used against them; officemates are told to turn against them; charges are filed against their wives; an army of black propagandists are loosed against them, polluting and clogging the airwaves and irritating cell-phone owners with messages against these witnesses and the senators probing the deal with ZTE Corp. Is she really serious about fighting corruption? So why is her administration throwing everything, including the kitchen sink, at Lozada? He is a witness exposing corruption. If she is really fighting corruption, she should praise and encourage him. She should give him a medal, not try to discredit him. She should erect a monument for him, not have him kidnapped. She should have promoted him to ombudsman, instead of trying to bribe him with P550,000.

What she should do was to have those mentioned as involved in the ZTE scandal (including her husband) prosecuted. How can she punish the guilty if she does not go after them but goes after the witnesses instead? Is she serious about fighting corruption or only fighting those exposing the corrupt?

How true indeed and if I may add why of all people Razon who is accused by Lozada as one of those responsible for the botched kidnap attempt has the gall to offer Lozada his protection truly shows their arrogance that is more of a veiled threat. Top that with a promotion which I suspect was more for loyalty on a personal level as in a cabo to his Mafiosi godmother, then it really shows she is dead serious in eradicating those who exposed corruption. Lozada was right in his concern in asking where people should go in cases such as this because the very people who are supposed to protect you are the ones committing the very criminal act you are testifying against.

What really got my attention was the manner by which Neal Cruz got so irritated with lap dogs of malacañang such as defeated senatorial bet Tito Sotto in echoing the liars below:

Take it to court. The Senate is not a court. Why is it accepting verbal testimony from witnesses without documentary evidence? What they are saying is hearsay, which is not admissible in court.

To which Cruz responded in the most direct and hilarious manner:

Hoy, Sotto! The Senate is not “Eat Bulaga.” D’yan ka na lang sa TV. Huwag ka nang makialam sa hindi mo naiintindihan. (Hey, Sotto! The Senate is not “Eat Bulaga.” Stick to TV. Don’t meddle into something beyond your comprehension)

The Philippines is indeed in the muck and with the way these morons interpret and dispense justice, we the people are lucky to still have people like Lozada coming out and risking it all. Yes, there is hope amidst the pillaging thieves there are still those bothered by their conscience and sense of decency. In so doing along comes Dante Madriaga encouraged by what he sees did the right thing by voluntarily offering what he knew.

Unfortunately Dante Madriaga’s revelation is seen with more suspicion and cynicism, to quote Dominique in his blog entry The Other Witness:

Pity Dante Madriaga. Although his testimony appears more substantive and damning than Jun Lozada's, Jun Lozada seems to have taken all the thunder.

Citing Arlyn dela Cruz article on the treatment Dante Madriaga had after the testimony truly is baffling that only shows how the Philippine justice system is so perverted under a corrupt regime that uses the state at their disposal to harass and intimidate anyone that hinders their plundering corruption.

A personal situation Arlyn dela Cruz morbidly describe as a dead man walking (a term used for condemned prisoners) for getting the ire of the first family with his revelation and to see some cynics discredit Madriaga is just so bizarre and dumb. Instead of taking the plunderers line why not give Madriaga the benefit of the doubt? Even criminals are entitled to such what more with witnesses, unless one wishes the guilty party to get away with their crime then so be it. The only consolation is we see encouraging articles such as Jamal Ashley on Dante Madriaga’s explosive exposé and Gaite’s sorry tale that is worth reading compared to kotonglist errr columnist or some confused pangits (ugly) errrr pundits.

Now, why is it that these senators seem to pass the buck on who should be responsible for certain witnesses? Is it because they try to skimp on their “patriotic” fund? This would not have happened or they would not have this problem if our justice system is efficient and manned by people of integrity instead of acting like mafisosi hit man out to protect their mob boss. The Philippines has a witness protection program as early as 1991 but at the rate the criminals in high places pervert the system it is more of a WITLESS PROTECTION program. The Department of Justice tasked to enforce the program are seen more as criminal defense lawyers of those in power than prosecute criminals abusing and perverting the legal system.

All these problems are the end result of fraudulent electoral exercise where guns, goon and gold dictates the outcome of the contest and the longer it stays this way the ante keeps on going up to a point of anarchy. It then comes as no surprise that corruption is now institutionalized to the highest level because that is the game played and if these "leaders" truly wanted change now is the time to come clean, renounce and fight corruption in any form or manner.

Anyway, we can deal with that some other time we should focus and pay attention to the case filed by the grand old man of politics, the only one remaining from the old school that is highly respected compared to the bozos we have nowadays. Former senate president Jovito Salonga founder of civil society group Kilosbayan and Bantay Katarungan filed a three-page complaint against Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, Anti-Plunder Law, and Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees at the Ombudsman. It is a long shot but civil society group should exert all efforts in pressing for accountability and responsibility, after all these crooks are answerable to us....... the victimized people long the subject of their abuse, exploitation, plunder, and insults.......

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