Filipinos urged to fight ‘epidemic of scandals’ in gov’t

MANILA, Philippines — There  is now  an “epidemic of scandals” in government where it’s officials are stricken with “epidermis of pachyderms”  and the Filipino people “have no choice but to keep on fighting,” Senator  Miriam  Defensor Santiago said on  Friday.

“Those guys are thick-skinned,”  Santiago said in a speech before the annual national convention  of the Philippine Association of Real  Estates  Board  Inc at the  Bellevue  Hotel  in  Muntinlupa, Alabang.

“It used  to be said in ancient Rome that Cesar’s wife must be above suspicion. But today,  the criminals in high public office  consider themselves to be above suspicion, even when the testimonial and  documentary evidence  is presented, and they have no defines but to cry that the charge is politically motivated. I have  news for them. Anything  that happens in politics is politically motivated so it’s no defines at all,”  she said.

The “epidemic  of scandals”  began  with Senators  Juan Ponce  Enrile,  Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, and  Ramon  “Bong” Revilla Jr. who have  been charged and  detained  in  connection with the “pork barrel” scam.

The  epidemic, she said, continued with the airing of documented “dirty-linen” against Vice  President Jejomar Binay and  his  family,  who have been accused of amassing  unexplained wealth and  other  irregular   activities  when he was still the  mayor of Makati City.‎

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

“The  epidemic continues  further with present allegations of proliferate abuses by no less than the  person  who heads the  agency which enjoys monopoly of sanctioned legal force against the civilian population,”  Santiago  said, without  saying  who she was  referring to.

“In all of these and probably in the forthcoming cases, the  five-centavo  lawyers will claim that their clients enjoy the presumption   of innocence. I repeat: Ignorance  can be cured, but stupid  is forever. When   I read  the  asinine remarks of these cheap lawyers, I am fully convinced that they posses  unparalleled mediocrity,” she said.

Santiago said  it was “doubly complicate” to fight   corruption in the country when the  accused pretend to be the champions of honesty and then resort not  only to shameless  propaganda “but also to all forms of  unethical character assassination carried out by expensive and unconscionable media syndicates.”

“But the  Filipino people have no choice; we have  to keep  on fighting. We have to remain adamant in the belief that good will triumph over evil, and that good governance will triumph  over corruption,”  the senator added.

RELATED STORIES

Ombudsman files plunder raps vs Napoles, Enrile, Estrada, Revilla

‘Binay made money from Makati building’

Binay benefited from ‘overpriced’ Makati building—former ally

RELATED VIDEOS

Read more...