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Philippines
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Big name, strong message

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The social affairs minister of Indonesia, Juliari Baturaba, was arrested Sunday, for allegedly taking $1.2 million in bribes linked to food aid for those hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Agence France-Presse reports.

Baturaba became the subject of a sting operation where anti-corruption agents seized suitcases, backpacks and envelopes stuffed with cash. Two contractors supplying basic food packages to those affected by the pandemic supposedly gave 10,000 rupiah—$0.71 – for each package.

“That’s the people’s money… it’s aid urgently needed to help during COVID-19 and for the national economic recovery,” said President Joko Widodo, who vowed he would not protect corrupt officials.

If found guilty, the minister faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of one billion rupiah ($70,000).

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Here at home, we remember how less than two months ago President Rodrigo Duterte announced a government-wide crackdown on corruption, even forming a “Mega Task Force” composed of representatives from various agencies to look into allegations of corruption in government and file appropriate cases in court.

As is characteristic of him, Mr. Duterte had tough words for the corrupt in government, promising them that they would get what is due them. Of course they should be punished for enriching themselves at the expense of the taxpayers who finance the government and of the citizens who need help and services the most. That they are doing so at a time of emergency and hardship aggravates the crime.

But this part is easy. Nobody will argue that the corrupt and the greedy should be punished. The difficult part is how exactly this would be accomplished in the current dynamics of this administration.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra has been tasked to head the team. He has promised that there would be no sacred cows in the sweeping investigation into all agencies of the government, even as they are supposed to do this in the middle of a pandemic and the consequent economic recession.

We wonder—how far has the task force gone in its job? Who are the people who would be charged with graft and corruption? How high up do the corrupt acts go and will these top officials be investigated or spared? Will there be no sacred cows, indeed, or will the fortunate ones be exonerated on the say-so of the powers-that be?

We’ve seen examples of gross incompetence, arrogance, entitlement and impunity among our government officials. We hope we can at least hear about a big name getting indicted for corruption. It’s about time we showed these criminals, masquerading as honorable public servants, something that would deter them.

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