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‘Let’s face it: the high and mighty do get away with crime in this country, however heavily documented it is’
You’re likely one of those glued to the hottest telenovela in town, the quad committee (quadcom) hearings on the brutal six-year drug war of Rodrigo Duterte. So hooked on it that you might have missed our invite to Rappler’s #BeTheChange Social Good Summit 2024 that is happening this Saturday, October 19, at the De La Salle University in Manila.
There’s time to book for a day of talk on practical solutions to today’s challenges — from tech to education to elections to urban woes. Education Secretary Sonny Angara will give the keynote and join a panel, moderated by Rappler CEO Maria Ressa, on tech and the education crisis. Check details here.
Something happened two Fridays ago that should give us, the quadcom telenovela audience, a dose of reality check: the Sandiganbayan’s decision to acquit Juan Ponce Enrile of plunder in the pork barrel scam after a decade of trial. The verdict is the final golden parachute for all the big fish in the scam, a 0-3 loss for government prosecutors.
Before this, the other big stars in the corruption scandal, Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla, not only were acquitted of plunder, but also went on to run for the Senate again, and won. Rappler’s justice and crime reporter Jairo Bolledo walks us through such an upsetting tale in this story.
Remember that this is a scam that drove thousands of Filipinos to the #MillionPeopleMarch in August 2013.
- This anti-corruption movement started on Facebook, when the platform was still giving space to real people armed with facts, not bots spreading lies.
- Occurring in the early years of the term of the late president Noynoy Aquino and at a time when journalists had relatively better access to documents and information, the pork barrel scam was exposed by news media. All the relevant data and details are on this topic page.
- Those punished in this heist were Janet Napoles, the well-connected broker between government contractors, fake NGOs, and lawmakers swimming in billions of pork grease, along with other mid-level bureaucrats and underlings.
Truth to tell, we’re a country of weak and corrupt institutions occasionally entertained by scintillating scandals. The current parade of cry-baby witnesses serves like badly needed therapy for us, to make us feel as if, after all the blood that’s been spilled and power that’s been abused, we would see some sort of justice, some sort of retribution.
And probably so. The hearings may yet push reelectionist senators Bato dela Rosa and Bong Go out of the Magic 12 winning circle in the May 2025 elections. Duterte’s daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, may yet be impeached and stand trial — and we could then throw all the sins of her father’s regime at her, the proxy who is the only viable Duterte to win a national race in 2028. The Philippine National Police, dubbed by one of its own the biggest crime syndicate in the country, may yet weed out criminals.
Let’s face it, though: the high and mighty do get away with crime in this country, however heavily documented it is.
The challenge is for these hearings to do more than accomplish the tactical goals of this administration for the 2025 and 2028 elections. Just how?
In any case, three revelations from the quadcom hearings deserve to be prosecuted with rigor and tried in court:
- The alleged involvement of Duterte’s two favorite cops — Royina Garma and Edilberto Leonardo — in the killing of one of their own, retired general Wesley Barayuga, a 1983 graduate of the Philippine Military Academy, who was working with Garma at the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office when he was gunned down.
- The role of Leonardo as the overall shadow commander of the drug army, and that of Senator Dela Rosa, who, as then Philippine National Police chief, deployed money and weapons, as well as approved hit lists sent to a cartel of unaccountable cops.
- The role of another incumbent, Senator Bong Go, in the rewards system that was the foundation of the drug war.
Such an uncanny resemblance to the pork scam narrative, though: Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla were charged and brought to court, and jailed.
And freed. And are now senators. Again.
You can guess that I devoured bowls of cynicism over the weekend. A meaningful week ahead of you, nonetheless. – Rappler.com
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